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i feel gassy
Ballyhoed New CAFE Standards Riddled With Hummer-Sized Loopholes
When Obama unveiled new fuel standards we decried the end of fun cars and pointed out how far most automakers are from meeting new-for-2016 fuel standards. It turns out, thanks to Hummer-sized loopholes like your car's air-conditioning, automakers should be able to meet them with little fear. More » -
i feel gassy
California already plotting America's post-2016 fuel standards. [Reuters via AutoNews]
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i feel gassy
No Automakers Meet Obama's New Fuel Economy Standard
The just-announced fuel economy policy changes demand 39 MPG for cars and 30 MPG for light trucks. A look at the data shows not a single automaker currently meets the new guidelines proposed today. Update. More » -
i feel gassy
Obama Kills Fun Cars, Unveils 35.5 MPG Fuel Economy Plan By 2016
President Obama and distinguishedhostagesauto execs just unveiled new emissions and fuel economy standards. The result? They've just killed all the fun cars. More » -
i feel gassy
Ebony And Ivory: Automakers Support Obama
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (NAMBLA), a trade association of 11 major automakers, back and plan to live together in perfect harmony with Obama's plan creating a unified auto emissions and fuel economy policy. More » -
i feel gassy
Obama To Announce New Fuel Economy, Emissions Standard Tomorrow
According to Politico, the Obama administration's announcing a new national auto standards policy for 2016. The plan supposedly marries U.S. fuel economy and emissions standards to California polices and be supported by automakers and policymakers. More » -
i feel gassy
Toyota To Lease 150 Plug-In Hybrids In European Test, U.S. By 2010
Toyota will lease over 150 experimental Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHV) to selected European fleets with France as the first country participating in the three-year pilot. Toyota will bring some PHV testers stateside starting in 2010. More » -
found on ebay
Ford Engineer Builds 125 MPG "HyperRocket" In Spare Time
You know someone's got a passion when by day they're a Ford fuel economy technical expert and by night they build a 125 MPG, rocket-shaped trike. It's called HyperRocket and it's now on eBay. More » -
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i feel gassy
NYPD Green: Altima Hybrids On Patrol
In a first for the NYPD, they now have Nissan Altima Hybrids. Criminals in the NYC area better keep their gas tanks full. More » -
drill baby drill
Seven Coolest Oil Exploration Vehicles
Despite the current blip in gas prices, we're still addicted to oil. So this week we visited the Offshore Technology Conference to find the seven coolest and toughest vehicles used to find more black gold. More » -
i feel gassy
NASCAR Star Drives Ford Fusion Hybrid Slowly, Gets 1,445.7 Miles On Single Gas Tank
NASCAR star Carl Edwards, using eco-driving tips, drove this 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid non-stop 1,445.7 miles on one tank of gas. Over 69 hours he averaged 81.5 MPG and annoyed 5,180 fellow drivers. More » -
i feel gassy
Swine Flu Drives Panic Up, Oil Prices Down
With Swine Flu possibly threatening global economy recovery, oil futures fell 4.5% to $49.25 a barrel today. That's good news for those of us planning to ride out the Swine Flupocalpyse in our cars. [Marketwatch] -
i feel gassy
New Toshiba Battery Recharges In 90 Seconds, Faster Than Gas Pump
Toshiba has improved it's Super Charge Ion Battery technology to the point where a 90 second recharge is possible. With enough amperage it would actually be faster to recharge than to fill up with gas. More » -
i feel gassy
Bill Gates Files Patents For Electromagnetic Engine, Plasma Injectors
One of the ten inventors on a new Searete LLC-filed patent for a new type of engine combining attributes of traditional internal combustion and power generators? None other than Microsoft's Bill Gates. More » -
i feel gassy
100 MPG Hummer H3: Volt Goes Off-Road
Raser Electric has built an extended-range electric Hummer H3 which will supposedly return 100 MPG when it hits the road. How did they do it? By building a simplified Chevy Volt before GM could. More » -
i feel gassy
CAFE: Fuel Economy Standards To Increase 8% To 27.3 MPG For 2011
The U.S. Transportation Department today will mandate the first passenger car fuel economy increase since 1975. The 2011 model year will require a fleetwide 8% increase above 2010 model year requirements to 27.3 MPG. More » -
i feel gassy
Denis Leary Wants To Create Biggest Carbon Footprint Possible
Comedian Denis Leary's always been controversial, but now he's sticking his finger in Hollywood's eco-friendly eye, claiming he needs trucks and his goal is to leave Earth with the biggest carbon footprint he possibly can. More » -
muscle car wars
Chevy Camaro EPA Fuel Economy: How The Muscle Stacks Up
We're in Michigan today to drive the 2010 Chevy Camaro. First news? V6 gets 18 MPG city, 29 MPG highway. The V8? 16 city, 24 highway. More details below and how the competition stacks up. More » -
i feel gassy
AT&T; To Buy 15,000 Hybrid, Natural Gas-Powered Vehicles From Ford
AT&T; announced yesterday it will spend $565 million over the next decade on more than 15,000 hybrid and natural gas-powered vehicles, mostly from Ford. Propane-powered Roush F-250s or Econolines anyone? [Freep] -
i feel gassy
BMW Partners With NASA On New Thermoelectric Exhaust System
BMW has revealed a partnership with NASA to develop thermoelectric generators for its next-generation Efficient Dynamics Mk2 system which uses a little bit o' ultrascience to make 200W from wasted exhaust gasses. More » -
i feel gassy
Cars Vs. People: What's More Fuel Efficient?
Ever wondered whether walking was more resource efficient than driving? Although we know we poop more when we exercise, this chart finally helps us to answer that question a bit more scientifically. More » -
i feel gassy
2010 Toyota Prius: At 50 MPG, Officially Highest-Mileage Retail Vehicle
Toyota announced this morning the 2010 Toyota Prius will officially be the highest-mileage retail vehicle available in the U.S. with a combined EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 50 MPG. More » -
offbeat news
Driver Charged $81 Billion For Filling Camaro Gas Tank
Juan Zamora pumped $26 of gas into his 1994 Chevy Camaro at his regular Conoco just like any other normal day. The only problem is his Paypal debit card recorded a transaction of $81,400,836,908. More » -
i feel gassy
ROUSH Propane-Powered Ford E-250: Econoline Gets Gassy
Like the idea of the ROUSH Propane-powered Ford F-150 and F-250 but need better compatibility with playgrounds and free candy? We give you the ROUSH Propane-Powered Ford E-250. Prepare to jam Econoline with propane. More » -
i feel gassy
Massachusetts Looking At "Hummer Tax" For "Gas-Guzzlers"
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday he's looking at what's being termed a "Hummer tax" — basically, higher registration fees for larger vehicles and discounts for those that do "less harm" to the environment. More » -
Carpocalypse Now
What's Up With The Price Of Gas?
The price of gasoline's certainly lower than the record highs of this past summer. But are they low enough? More » -
i feel gassy
2010 Toyota Camry Fuel Economy Increased To 33 MPG, Matches Chevy Malibu
The newly-revealed 2010 Toyota Camry's fuel economy officially increased to 33 MPG, matching the previous high-mileage champs, the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6. Well, that was a fun race, wasn't it? [Kicking Tires] -
i feel gassy
OPEC Approves Biggest Production Cut Ever, Market Goes "Meh"
OPEC today announced it will cut daily oil production by 2.2 million barrels, a response to the shrinking price of gas. And how did the market respond to the news? Crude is down. -
question of the day
What's Your Worst Gas Station Experience?
Even when gas is cheap bad things always happen at gas stations. Perhaps it's because they have surveillance cameras, but not a week goes by without a story involving a gas station and the phrase "You won't believe this video." -
i feel gassy
US Army To Lease 4,000 Electric Vehicles, Swap Slogan For "An Army Of Nerds"
The United States Army is going to trade in its Humvees and Jeeps for E-Z-Go golf carts and Native American Biofuels electric trucks in an effort to save money and improve the army's average fuel efficiency. -
i feel gassy
Bay Area Lays Down Plans For Electric Vehicle Future
The San Francisco bay area is moving forward with a multi-step plan to become the most EV friendly place in the United States. The plan calls for standardization of electric hookups, tax incentives for EV buyers, government programs for fleet buys and street side charging stations. Considering this is a classic case of a command economy at work, some company has to provide the electric cars the free market hasn't been able to on a large scale. Enter Better Place, a company offering the wholesale solution of a Nissan-Renault electric car, battery exchange stations, and charging stations. We're a bit uneasy with the idea of government mandated industry changes, but that's California for you. This could get very interesting. Full press release below. More » -
i feel gassy
National Gas Price Drops Below $2.00 Per Gallon, 50% In Five Months
The price of a regular gallon of gas dropped to an average of $1.97 on Friday, the lowest price since March 4, 2005, according to the Lundberg Survey. By comparison, gas prices hit a high of $4.11 on July of this year, meaning the price has changed more than 50% since the summer. Additionally, the average price of diesel fuel for that new 2009 Jetta SportWagen TDI is now just $2.93 per gallon, the first time that a ride on the green handle was less than $3.00. Now with cheap gas we can all conveniently forget about hybrid cars and go back to building body-on-frame sport utility vehicles and take Hummer off the auction block. We've got average prices for a smattering of cities below, but how much did a gallon cost you today?. More » -
Financiapocalypse
Participate In Federally-Funded Road Survey, Make $895
It's no surprise people are driving less because of the financiapocalypse, leaving the US Department of Transportation rightly worried the Federal Highway Trust Fund could continue to dry up. The solution? A study, of course. We've found a federally-funded study at the University of Iowa looking to fit GPS tracking units onto participant's cars to determine if a pay-per-mile system would be more feasible than the current gas tax. Here's the fun part — if you live in one of the six test cities and you're chosen to participate in the eight-month study, you'll receive $895. Sounds like reasonable compensation for letting Big Brother know your every move. And hey, we can all use the dough at the moment, can't we? Hit the jump to see if you qualify. More » -
novelties
Contribute To The Environment Unconsciously With The Magic Power System!
What would you say to a £34.99 ($53.75) device that plugs into your car's lighter socket and gives you 10-30% better fuel economy, cleans the entire car electrically and improves audio sounds? We totally believe all those claims, and those are just a few of the benefits offered by the Magic Power System, aka Power Bar. How do you suppose this device works? Blood-magneto suction drums? Electrical system acupressure? Charm quark intimidation?
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hybrids
Could Cars Be Used As Batteries For Cities?
There's an idea kicking around in the egghead community about a notion called V2G, or vehicle to grid, where parked hybrid or electric cars would be plugged into the city grid and used as a distributed power storage medium. Car owners would collect a fee as the cars would be used as a buffer to store power generated in off hours for use during peak times. The concept would do away with the need for backup generators and further offset the higher costs of hybrids. What the idea won't do is work without ginormous cross industrial and governmental standardization the likes of which will never be seen in the United States. To Europe, eggheads! [LiveScience] -
sema
80 MPG 400 HP '87 Mustang X Prize Contestant Heading To SEMA
When Doug Pelmear and his notchback Ford Mustang nearly broke the internet with his claims of some magical engine tinkering returning 110 MPGe (80 MPG) — while making 400 HP — we were skeptical to say the least. That "MPGe" figure is there because the car runs on ethanol, so the extra "e" on the end signifies the energy equivalent to a gallon of regular gasoline. Now Pelmear is taking the 110 MPG Mustang on a cross-country road trip to prove the skeptics (us) wrong, ending at this years SEMA show where he probably won't be popping the hood so everyone can poke around. The car is being entered in the Progressive Automotive X Prize contest as well, where it will compete against others with the goal of 100 MPG in a four-passenger car. We're going to continue waiting, edible hat in hand, for scientific measurements to back up his claims. [WNWO, via MustangRevolution] -
Highest Fuel Economy Cars For 2009
New EPA Fuel Economy Guide Reveals Ten Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles For 2009
The Environmental Protection Agency just released their 2009 EPA Fuel Economy Guide and we've pored through the hot-off-the-presses data to pull out this list of the ten most fuel efficient cars for sale in the US next year. Not surprisingly, the Toyota Prius once again tops the list with a combined 48 mpg city/45 mpg highway performance. Though hybrids take four of the top five spots, the Volkswagen Jetta/Jetta SportWagen Diesels cracked the top ten with a 30/41 mpg rating. Also showing up in the lineup for the first time is the new Chevy Cobalt XFE with a fuel economy rating of 25/37 mpg. The rest of the list and the top performers in each category below. More » -
i feel gassy
Oil Futures Close Below $70 A Barrel, Prices At The Pump Matching Historical Record
The futures price of a barrel of crude oil closed today at $69.85, down $4.69 a barrel since trading ended yesterday. This is the first time oil closed below $70 a barrel since June 2007, which forced us to ask the question: 'How much did a gallon of regular cost in June 2007?' Well, after a quick hunt we found the answer was $3 a gallon, with a low price of $2.75 in Jackson, Mississippi and the high in Chicago at $3.39. Where does that leave us? With a desire to shake our fists at big oil about why gas prices haven't come down...only to find out they have, and match the historical record almost perfectly. Dagnabit. [NYTimes, Gas prices from: CarSeek] -
I Cant Find E85
E85 Gas Pumps Pass 1,800 Mark, Still Can't Find One In Sarah Palin's Alaska
A new report shows the number of E85 ethanol pumps in the U.S. has grown nearly 28% in the past year, surpassing the 1,800 mark with 1,693 available for public use. The states with the most E85 pumps are, as you'd expect, in the corn belt, including Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri. Just don't expect to find them in every corner of the country: Despite the growth in E85 availability, seven states still don't have any E85 pumps, including Alaska. Considering E85 expansion is part of our current national energy policy, it makes us wonder if Governor Palin should revise her favorite chant to "distill, baby, distill." More » -
Financiapocalypse
Best Thing About The Financiapocalypse? Cheap Gas!
As MSNBC reports, crude oil prices are creeping upward on reports of positive economic news around the globe, but not before they hit their lowest price in over a year on Friday: $77.70 a barrel. Turns out the global recession is lowering demand for oil, forcing prices into an overall downward trend, a cycle at least one analyst expects to continue in the short term. The result at home has been a drop in gas prices from a national average of $4.11 per gallon in mid-July to the current $3.35 for a gallon of dino-juice — just the thing to prop up consumer confidence, at least until OPEC's special meeting next month, which actually might have more to do with propping up the Dow Jones Industrial Average today than anything else. So do your part, folks: Drive your cars or the domestic terrorists on Wall Street win!