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From naughty to nice: Eco bad boys back electric vehicles
McDonald's has been a frequent target on this blog, and many others related to health and environmental issues. But mark it on your calendar: This post is in praise of Micky D's, for installing EV charging stations at a new West Virginia location.
Yes, it's just about the strangest place you could pick, given that the Huntington, WV, location is not on a throughway connecting EV early-adopter towns like New York, D.C., or San Francisco. The location clearly has more to do with its proximity to partner American Electric Power's Columbus, Ohio, headquarters — but we'll give kudos where kudos are due. With 58 million people eating at McDonald's everyday, the burger chain isn't a bad spot to enable electric vehicle drivers to charge up.
But now get this, sort-of-fast food chain Cracker Barrel — scorned by progressives for its aggressive anti-gay stance — is outplaying Ronald McDonald at his own game, installing 24 charging stations in the more heavily driven triangle between Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Based in Lebanon, Tenn., Cracker Barrel has fuel in its DNA: The chain originally featured gas with its family fare, and removed the pumps during the Arab Oil embargo. A spokesperson estimated that charging on the high-speed 480-volt chargers would take about 40 minutes — about as long as it takes to eat at Cracker Barrel if there's no wait.
Courtesy Cracker Barrel
| December 22 2010 at 12:24 PM
Buy electric car, get $5,000
The age of the hybrid may officially be over. First, they lost their eligibility for carpool stickers, then Toyota imploded, and now this: The state is offering rebates of up to $5,000 for residents who buy or lease electric vehicles. If you're thinking of buying a Tesla Roadster or a more affordable Nissan Leaf, act quickly because the rebate is only good from April 1 until the funding is gone (and a dollar never lasts long in Sacramento).
There are commercial-duty electric vehicles on the market as well. Check out the full list of eligible vehicles — and the rest of the fine print — here.
Motor Matters, 2009
Nissan Leaf
| March 17 2010 at 06:35 AM
We're already cutting emissions
It's funny how green-haters accuse greens of being catastrophists, and then argue that cutting carbon emissions will destroy our economy and send us back to the Dark Ages. (See the trailer of Phelem McAleer's Not Evil Just Wrong for a prime example.)
Well, the last pooh-pooh is on them: It turns out we're already cutting emissions in the United States. Sure, some of that is due to a sluggish economy. But negative economic circumstances don't account for the 9 percent reduction in carbon emissions since 2007. In fact, the amount of carbon dioxide produced for every dollar of economic output declined by 3.8 percent in 2008.
Utilities'—the largest source of emissions—saw their CO2 output fall 2.1 percent, which outpaced the 1.0 percent drop in power generation. The reason? Renewables. In 2008, a total of 102 wind farms came online, providing more than 8,400 megawatts of generating capacity, and U.S. solar cell installations are growing at 40 percent a year.
As renewables continue to grow, demand will continue to shrink due to efficiency measures. The Rocky Mountain Institute calculates that if the 40 least-efficient states were to reach the electrical efficiency of the 10 most-efficient ones (including California), national electricity use would be reduced by one third. This would let us close 62 percent of the country's 617 coal-fired power plants.
Most surprisingly, Americans are turning away from cars! The estimated scrappage of 14 million cars in 2009 will exceed new sales of 10 million, shrinking the fleet 2 percent in one year. This shrinkage will likely continue for a few years, and increased fuel efficiency standards will mean less emissions per car. And really big gains in fuel efficiency will come with the shift to plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars, which are increasingly mainstream. Not only are electric motors three times more efficient than gasoline engines, but they also enable cars to run on wind power at a gasoline-equivalent cost of 75 cents a gallon.
Sounds like good news for my wallet to me. In fact, some mainstream media outlets' reporting that emissions have shrunk as a result of the economic downturn fail to offer any evidence of the link. On the other hand, experts have shown that going green will almost certainly boost the economy.
Explore this interactive graphic to see for yourself.
SFGreen on Facebook
| October 16 2009 at 01:34 PM
Silent but deadly?
Automakers have long struggled to make their vehicles quieter. But now they may pump noise through the bumpers of hybrid vehicles, which are indeed quiet in city traffic.
The problem? Pedestrians, particularly blind pedestrians, can't hear the vehicles approaching, according to a widely cited study conducted by a U.C. Riverside psychologist and funded by the National Federation of the Blind.
So automakers are thinking of adding noise—the "car tone" of your choice—just as awareness of the detrimental effects, to both people and planet, of noise pollution is growing.
Paul Scott (no relation), vice-president of Plug In America, says, "Quiet cars need to stay quiet — we worked so hard to make them that way. It's the driver's responsibility not to hit somebody."
I can't speak for blind pedestrians (I've asked the NFB for an opinion, and will post it as an update), but urban planning measures based on studies conducted by psychologists seem somewhat dubious, and, selfishly, I don't look forward to hearing "Holla Back Girl" blaring at every corner.
What do you think?
| October 14 2009 at 11:58 AM
A good ride while it lasted
Those precious "access" bumper stickers obtained by 85,000 hybrid car owners across the state are set to become worthless on Jan. 1, 2011, cutting a $1,000 premium off the resale price of the vehicles.
The access stickers allowed solo hybrid drivers to use lanes normally reserved for carpoolers. They were intended to stimulate sales of hybrid vehicles, and they appear to have served their purpose. Now legislators are looking to reserve the golden keys for vehicles that eschew conventional fuel altogether, using electric batteries or natural gas instead. (Cars that get at least 65 miles per gallon of gasoline may also qualify under an alternate law being considered.)
As such vehicles hit the market, they will be more in need of incentives, but is the move fair to people who bought hybrids with the understanding that they would be able to coast in the carpool lanes?
LAT
| September 28 2009 at 12:20 PM
Feds skewed Clunkers results
Edmunds.com
This SUV was the biggest beneficiary of the Cash for Clunkers program
An analysis of purchasing data conducted by Edmunds.com found that the top models purchased under the Cash for Clunkers program were not small foreign cars as government data suggested, but SUVs.
The government data separates models by engine and transmission type; Edmunds does not. Using this method the top 10 models purchased were:
- Ford Escape
- Ford Focus
- Jeep Patriot
- Dodge Caliber
- Ford F-150
- Honda Civic
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Chevrolet Cobalt
- Toyota Corolla
- Ford Fusion
In other words, half of the top 10 vehicles purchased were trucks or SUVs
. Because the Ford Escape, Honda Civic, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ford Fusion purchases include hybrid electric versions, the Edmunds rankings may slightly obscure hybrid sales. The government method, however, tends to underrate truck and SUV sales because most models come in both 2WD and 4WD versions and, as a result, their sales numbers were split.Trucks were also subject to lower fuel efficiency standards under the program, and analysts were initially surprised not to find more gas-guzzlers on the top 10 list. Seems the government stacked the deck to make its program look more environmentally sound than it is.
(H/T j.leader for the tip)
| August 12 2009 at 11:44 AM
How smart is the Smart Car?
You've seen them around: those tiny cars. Strange at first, the Smart Car certainly seems like a good idea for people who mainly travel in the city, or who have a second car for longer trips. But is it? I got out my paper and pencil and did a little figuring. The mid-range Smart Car (the first with A/C and a radio) has a list price of $13,990. If gas costs an average of $2.75 per gallon, over ten years the car will cost $21,630 (purchase price plus gas for 10,000 miles a year).
But for just $4,800 more over the same period ($26,430), you could drive a "real" car, namely a Honda Insight hybrid. The Insight is a better value than the Prius, which gets slightly better gas mileage but has a significantly higher ticket price. Over 10 years, the Prius would run $28,000.
Admittedly, the Smart Car is easier to park in the city, which might counterbalance the added space and comfort of a standard-sized car—particularly if you really only use it for city errands. What do you think, is $4,800 in savings worth it?
| April 01 2009 at 12:10 PM
Five Money-Saving, Hassle-Free Green Tips
Buying a hybrid isn't cheap, and may not do all that much for the environment anyway. But here are green tips everyone should be following: They're easy to do, help the planet, and save you money!
If you haven't made these changes yet, make them today. You'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.
5. Ride your bike for trips under two miles. It's honest-to-goodness faster and easier than looking for—and paying for—parking. Short trips cost more because they're hard on your car. And biking will give you nice legs.
4. Put electronics (including microwave ovens) on a power strip and turn it off when they're not in use. Roughly 5 percent of the nation's energy use powers electronics not in use.
3. Switch all light bulbs to CFLs. They come in natural light and dimmer-friendly versions now, so there's no excuse not to use them. Although they cost more, CFLs last much longer than conventional bulbs and can cut your lighting bill by 75 percent. Just make sure to dispose of them properly when they die. (Proper disposal of electronics isn't exactly hassle-free, but it's also a major contribution to greener living.)
2. Stop buying expensive, toxic household cleaners. You can clean almost anything with vinegar (floors, counters, mirrors, windows) and boric acid (tubs, sinks, toilets). For specialized tasks, you can use olive or citrus oil, lemon juice or baking soda. These simple, non-toxic cleaners will save you lots of money and will dramatically reduce the number of untested and/or toxic chemicals in your home.
Update: Read Lynette Evans' Village Green blog post on a new report identifying dangerous chemicals in household products.
1. Optimize the settings of your hot water heater and gas or electric heater and keep ducts and filters clean. You can save 13 percent on your electric bill.
Bookmark this link and send it to your friends. It's a rare opportunity to have your cake and eat it too.
| October 27 2008 at 10:48 AM
GM: Climate Change Is a Crock...Of Cash?
GM sure is getting a ride out of its Volt. After promising in 2007 to mass produce the plug-in hybrid by 2010, the company got props from greens and a big puff piece in the Atlantic. Business Week even praised notorious eco-clutz Bob Lutz for leaving the Volt as his legacy.
When the company unveiled the Volt prototype Tuesday, CEO Rick Wagoner used the opportunity to ask for government assistance to the tune of $25 billion. When Lutz went on the Colbert Report to pimp the Volt he claimed that, like "32,000 of the world's leading scientists," he believes the warming climate is unrelated to human activity. In February, Lutz was a bit less sanguine in his dismissal of human-caused climate change, calling it "a crock of sh-t." Nevertheless, his company is happy to take government money intended to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions.
Lutz's embarassing comments aside, GM is, as Climate Progress's Joseph Romm puts it, "a master greenwasher." And greenwashing, sadly, can pay.
| September 18 2008 at 12:07 PM
Taxi!
The LA Times reports that Burbank cabbies—once skeptical of a company's promise to expand its fleet exclusively with hybrids—have been won over. The cab drivers must buy the vehicles themselves, at far greater expense than the auctioned used police vehicles they once purchased. They were worried the little cars couldn't stand up to as much abuse as the Crown Vics, but they seem to be withstanding just fine and cabbies report that customers are thrilled to ride in hybrids.
Oddly, the United Taxicab Workers San Francisco local continues to oppose the SF taxi commission's push to issue 69 more medallions for hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. I don't much approve of any company's policy to make its workers front money before they can work, but SF drivers lease, rather than buy, their vehicles. The hybrids check-out cost is higher than a standard vehicle's, but the difference pales next to the purchasing burden of the Burbank drivers, and the hybrids require less gas.
From a user perspective, more cabs in San Francisco would make car-free living easier. The Burbank story suggests that there must be a way to make that happen without reaming drivers.
Meanwhile, when calling a cab in San Francisco, try the all-hybrid Green Cab first: 626-4733 (or 626-GREEN). Enter the number in your phone.
| September 16 2008 at 11:23 AM
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