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Fuel Efficiency in the US

October 28, 2011 by Tom Konrad
with 254 views
2

A nice graphic comparing various passenger cars and alternative fuels. Two quibbles: - I don’t think the NASA crawler (used to transport the Space Shuttle) qualifies as a passenger car. - Why not include natural gas vehicles? [read more]

Dash for Clunkers

October 17, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 171 views
3

You can motivate people to drive less through various means. Gas taxes come to mind. Or a tax on vehicles miles traveled, or a congestion fee. Whether you call it a “tax” or a “fee,” charging money is always part of the equation. The alternative to a tax is a ban, and that’s almost always a bad idea. Case in point is Mexico City, which... [read more]

Important Lessons To Learn From The CAFE Standard Compromise

July 29, 2011 by David Doniger
with 169 views
0

Today President Obama will announce a third historic agreement to bring us cleaner cars and trucks, dramatically cutting carbon pollution and raising fuel economy for new cars, SUVs, minivans, and pick-ups built between 2017 and 2025.  The latest Clean Car Peace Treaty builds on a 2009 agreement for 2012-16 vehicles, and a 2010 pact... [read more]

The Return of the American Diesel Car

July 28, 2011 by Robert Rapier
with 320 views
1

The following guest essay is by Paul Nash, a regular reader here at R-Squared. Paul is an Australian who now lives near Vancouver, Canada. He is an environmental engineer who specializes in doing municipal water and energy efficiency projects, and has had experience in managing small town water and energy utilities. He is also... [read more]

Think Transportation, Not Cars

July 11, 2011 by Gernot Wagner
with 231 views
1

The Sunday New York Times comes with its own Automobiles section. Nothing unusual about that. Many papers have one as a convenient way to cash in on whatever is left of the classifieds. Certified pre-owned BMWs anyone? The section also comes with a couple of articles, none worthy of a Pulitzer but many illuminating nonetheless. As... [read more]

What America Doesn't Know About Gas Prices

July 7, 2011 by Silvio Marcacci
with 689 views
0

Most Americans know the price of gasoline better than the cost of almost anything else they buy regularly. But do they know all the factors that go into that price, or even the source of the crude oil used to make their gas? energyNOW! special correspondent Josh Zepps takes an inside look at everything that goes into the price of gas - from the ground to your tank - and explains why crude oil costs so much in the first place, where most of that oil comes from, and why the gas you buy varies from season to season, and place to place. [read more]

What's The True Cost Of A Gallon Of Gas?

June 29, 2011 by A Siegel
with 1,041 views
2

How should we understand the cost of a gallon of gasoline? This is a very serious question with a myriad of layers and implications. The price of gasoline, at the pump, is the most prominent indicator of energy costs for a very large share of humanity. Whether driving a car or taking a bus or even walking on a street, the ‘arm and a... [read more]

6 Reasons Why the Auto Industry Cost Claims for 62 MPG are Wrong

June 27, 2011 by Roland Hwang
with 690 views
2

Last week the auto industry released their latest claims on the cost of stronger pollution and fuel economy standards by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR).  According to this latest analysis, the costs of meeting a 62 mpg standards by 2025 will be $9,794. They also claim 260,000 jobs lost in 2025. But a close examination of... [read more]

Efficient Cars and Nuclear Power Efficiency

June 2, 2011 by Charles Barton
with 596 views
4

I must confess that I am of two different minds on the topic of efficiency. On one hand I am critical of the notion that efficiency can replace post carbon energy generation, yet I also have devoted a considerable effort to increasing the efficiency of the process of building nuclear power plants. In addition, I am conducting a... [read more]

Let’s Make Homes As Smart As Our Cars

May 31, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 323 views
3

It’s not easy to accurately predict the future, as a disappointed group of Rapture wannabes recently learned.  However, we can use history and examples of similar solutions to help us consider how new technologies could be incorporated into popular use.  Therefore, we should be thinking about what’s been done with cars and... [read more]

Why 60 MPG Can Be as Standard as Catalytic Converters, Airbags, and Seatbelts

May 25, 2011 by Peter Lehner
with 576 views
7

One of the first cars I drove was my dad’s Buick Regal. I was only 14, but my older brothers let me sit behind the wheel. After college, I moved to DC and was happy to have an old VW Rabbit to wedge into tight parking spaces. I have fond memories of both those cars—they brought me a taste of freedom—but they can’t hold a candle to today’... [read more]

Radio Interview on Rising Gas Prices

April 14, 2011 by Robert Rapier
with 176 views
1

Following my recent article in the Washington Post on Five Myths About Gas Prices, I received several inquires for additional commentary on the story. Below is an interview that I did with KSL NewsRadio in Utah that allowed me to expand upon the points from the Washington Post article (as I also did in an expanded version of the story).... [read more]

Is the Electric Car’s Tax-Free Ride Coming to an End?

April 8, 2011 by Tim Hurst
with 290 views
3

The tax-free joyride electric and hybrid-electric vehicle owners have been enjoying while cruising the highways and byways of America may soon be a thing of the past. [read more]

Unconventional Energy and Transportation Wisdom

April 8, 2011 by Deron Lovaas
with 169 views
0

Lisa Margonelli of the New America Foundation asked me to speak on a panel yesterday -- the entire thing was recorded and is available here -- along with Jed Kolko of the Public Policy Institute of California and Shin-Pei Tsay of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The topic was "unconventional wisdom" and we were looking at... [read more]

Cooling with Less Warming: EPA Starts Refrigerant Changeover for Car Air Conditioners

March 25, 2011 by David Doniger
with 142 views
0

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a pair of decisions that begin a changeover of the refrigerants that do the cooling in car air conditioners.  Over the next few years, it will be out with the old (HFC-134a) and in with the new (HFO-1234yf).  We’ll be able to cool our cars with less global warming.  Both... [read more]