EcoModder at the Green Grand Prix!

May 1, 2009

Every year in Watkins Glen, NY there is a great event called the Green Grand Prix. The GGP has two main competitions, one a time-speed-distance road rally for hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles, the other a fuel economy competition on major public roads around Seneca Lake. This year we decided we’d show up for the […]

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EU Will Ban R134a Coolant by 2011

May 1, 2009

Image: dougww In 2006 the EU handed down a resolution to ban the auto coolant R134a. R134a was the replacement for R12, which was banned around the world during the 1990s. However, one of the problems with R134a is that it is not an efficient coolant. This is part of the European Union’s efforts to […]

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Removing Side Mirrors for Fuel Economy

April 29, 2009

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNSon0kKsmY There used to be a time when economy cars didn’t always have a passenger side mirror. For example, depending on the market, the CRX HF, which had a remarkable drag coefficient of 0.29, didn’t always come with one. Twenty-one years past the first production of the 2nd-generation CRX, we can’t speculate on Honda’s motivations, […]

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Are Mild Hybrids Wasted Investment?

April 29, 2009

At a panel discussion during the 2009 New York International Auto Show, the inevitable question came up: should we focus on one green technology or continue our scattered approach to things? Henrik Fisker, the charismatic man at the helm of Fisker Automotive, had an answer that surprised me: we should explore every avenue, except mild […]

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Honda Now Working on Plug-In Hybrid

April 28, 2009

For the last few years, Honda has steadfastly looked to fuel cell technology as the answer to long-term transportation needs. However, the company has changed its tone just a bit. Just a few days ago we wrote about how Honda had realized that hybrids would play a much larger and more last role in the […]

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Honda Cub Makes a Comeback (Sort Of)

April 27, 2009

If you’ve ever been to Japan you have seen the streets and sidewalks covered with Honda Cubs. The ubiquitous little motorcycle has been around since it raised Honda from post-war obscurity and is currently the world’s best selling selling motored transport, ever. Unfortunately Honda pulled the motorcycle from the United States a while ago, assuming […]

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Fiat Working on New Small Car Hybrid Platform

April 27, 2009

Small cars get the best gas mileage. So do hybrids. So wouldn’t a small hybrid get really good gas mileage? Something like, say, a Fiat 500 hybrid? Fiat certainly thinks it’s a good idea. Up until now price has been the major opposition to small hybrids. Small car buyers tend to be cheap car buyers, […]

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Auto Scrappage Plan May be Coming to the U.S.

April 27, 2009

Photo: kbass941 It’s not official yet, but it’s getting close: the United States may have its own cash for clunkers plan in the works. Notably, the United Kingdom just instituted their own cash for clunkers plan, though that plan is short term and relies on the voluntary participation of automakers. Unlike the UK program, the […]

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