cars

VW’s Jetta BlueTDI: 60 MPG, 90% Emissions Reduction for NOx. VW’s ultra-low emission Jetta BlueTDI will be coming to the US mid-summer, according to an announcement made late last month at the Vienna Motor Symposium.This newer version of the Jetta will meet the strictest emissions standards in the world.

Homemade ethanol guru Floyd S. Butterfield and Silicon Valley entrepreneur and innovator Thomas J. Quinn want to see you making ethanol in your backyard. Their creation, called the E-Fuel 100 MicroFueler, is a stacked washer-dryer sized reactor that can convert sugar into ethanol for (they claim) $1.00 per gallon.

Clean Burning Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are hot commodities in some parts of the country, where fuel can sell for as low as $0.63 per gallon. This Civic NGV is powered by the simplest and cleanest-burning hydrocarbon available, and though it looks like a standard passenger vehicle, its tailpipe emissions that are often cleaner than ambient air.

Small cars like these have scored big among buyers looking for a way to control rising gas prices; over the last year, the average cost of a gallon has risen more than 60 cents.

General Motors announced today it would be entering into a strategic relationship with Mascoma Corp., a second-generation biofuel company with the technology to produce cellulosic ethanol from non-food sources via a single-step biochemical conversion. This is GM’s second investment in a cellulosic ethanol company, after announcing partnership with Coskata back in January.

 While the price at the pump is not expected to ease anytime soon, experts at General Motors say there are ways drivers can ease the number of trips to the gas station. Adhering to the recommended speed limits is one way to conserve fuel says experts.

While the national average price of gasoline is now $3.60, some residents of Utah are happily filling up on compressed natural gas (CNG) at $0.63 per gallon. That’s the country’s lowest price for CNG, which has understandably caused a surge in demand for vehicles running on a fuel that one man described as “practically free.”

Amory Lovins describes how hypercars will be lighter, stronger, more gas efficient, and safer, and how he expects these super-efficient cars to be on the market within 5 years. Very interesting video.

Compressed air-powered cars are not as far-fetched as they seem as they are considered zero emissions vehicles that are coming to market as soon as this August.

This is a fantastic wiki about finding a solid used car and getting it to run on a green fuel (one that is both reliable and preferably free). Oh, and it's doing all that on a budget! So here's to driving a sweet car, saving the world with green fuel, and keeping cash in your bank account.

While we love hearing about sweet rides like the $100K Tesla Roadster, a functional and economical electric car made for the rest of us would be even cooler. This could be it: the Th!nk City electric car, a four-seater with 110 mile range and top speed of 65 mph, priced under $25,000, made from 95% recyclable materials, and available in the U.S. in 2009.

The White House has outlined their plan to increase fuel efficiency standards to 35 MPG by 2020, a move that will save Americans an estimated $100 billion in fuel costs. The proposal gives a boost to the timeline by requiring the mileage of passenger vehicles to average 31.6 MPG by 2015. That’s up from today’s average of 25 MPG.

New hybrid vehicle registrations went up 38 percent in 2007 and are expected to keep growing this year!

The Smack's hydrogen generator DIY boosting system for cars electrolyzes water and injects hydrogen and oxygen into the vehicle's manifold reducing emissions significantly and increasing gas mileage as well.

Residents of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are outpacing the national average decline in gas consumption, according to a new report by the Sightline Instutute.In the last 8 years, residents of these states have cut back by about a gallon per week, for a total gas consumption reduction of 11%. In the Pacific Northwest, gas usage has fallen to its lowest level since 1966, while CO2 emissions from gasoline have fallen by six-tenths of a ton per capita since 1999.