emissions
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Getting more out of the current generation of hardware is becoming increasingly important for the major carmakers as fuel and emissions standards tighten, but getting more power out of smaller, less expensive engines is also advantageous from a cost perspective. That's what makes Fiat's Multiair technology so attractive, and explains why Chrysler might get the technology in the very near future. It's actually surprisingly easy to retrofit the Multiair valve system to an existing engine, Lucio Bernard, director of Fiat Powertrain Technologies, told Automotive News. Internally, the groundwork...
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EPA gives California and 13 other states waiver to regulate greenhouse gas emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week granted California a long-anticipated Clean Air Act Waiver. Under the plan, California - along with 13 other states - will enforce its own emissions standards until the 2012 model year, when the federal government will begin phasing in new national...
James Martinez -
BMW launches new efficient 316d ES for Europe
The U.S. resurgence of diesel may finally be shifting into high gear, but some of the world's best diesels still aren't even offered here. In Europe, however, carmakers such as BMW are introducing new models to meet ever-stricter emissions requirements, and the latest volley is the BMW 316d ES...
Ralph Hanson -
Lamborghini hints at hybrid future in new environmental strategy
More stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations rolling in across major markets around the globe have all automakers, even ultra luxury marques, rethinking their designs and manufacturing processes in an effort to become greener. Both Bentley and Ferrari have confirmed their commitment to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
California already working on tougher fuel standards
President Barack Obama may have just taken the wraps off his new national fuel policy, but according to the state of California it’s not too soon to already begin work on the next stage of clean car regulations. The infamous California Air Resources Board (CARB) is known for being passionate...
James Martinez -
UK buyers swap clunkers for Nissan GT-Rs
In a move that can only be described as brilliant by anyone with a love of all things four-wheeled and fast, at least two buyers in the UK have swapped their clunkers in for cash, and used that cash to buy Nissan GT-Rs. They were among the very first to take advantage of the new scrappage...
Nelson Ireson -
Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and this week the car took a step closer to arriving in showrooms as the first production models have started undergoing real-world testing. Having debuted in concept form at March’s Geneva Motor Show, the new Continental Supersports is scheduled to go on sale early next year as the carmaker’s most powerful and fastest production model ever. It won’t be the most expensive Bentley - that honor falls to the Arnage - and the Azure is also more expensive, but a $267,000...
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Bentley’s fastest and most powerful production car ever priced from $273,295
Bentley's flex-fuel Continental Supersports recently broke ground as the first ethanol-burner from the brand, and with this week's announcement of the price of the car, its cash-burning abilities are known too. Taking its slot as the most powerful and fastest Bentley ever, the Supersports is also...
Kenneth Hall -
CARB backs off bid to get rid of black cars in California
California may have a reputation for being one of the more 'progressive' states in the union, however the latest idea to come from the ever wise California Air Resources Board (CARB) had even the most die-hard environmentalists scratching their heads. Today the board backed down from its proposal...
Ralph Hanson -
China's carbon emissions jump 80% in just three years
Beijing's efforts to cut its local pollution for the Olympics aside, China has shown little interest in cutting back its output of carbon into the atmosphere. Even with Beijing's drastic measures, athletes and press complained of the oppressive atmosphere. Now it looks like China's atmosphere may...
Alex Kaufmann -
Consortium including UN issues emissions edict: cut CO2 output by half by 2050
A consortium of industry agencies and the United Nations wants the world to cut its vehicular emissions by 50% by 2050. The cutely-named '50 by 50' plan calls on governments around the world to cut back voluntarily, since there is no real enforcement mechanism. "We're not saying that nobody can...
Kenneth Hall -
Ferrari confirms 599 hybrid prototype in testing
Governments around the world are bowing to public pressure to reduce greenhouse gases, and more often than not the first sector they look at is the auto industry. The European Council has proposed a ruling that could see carmaker’s forced to limit their fleet average CO2 levels to 130g/km by...
James Martinez -
In the Koran the Prophet Mohammed set out clear rules for Muslim interaction with alcohol, forbidding the use, purchase, sale, service, transportation or even manufacture of the substance. And that's the basis a Saudi Muslim scholar is using to call ethanol use by Muslims a sin. Setting aside the obvious motivation to preserve oil use and production, the religious case against ethanol is a strong one. Fuel ethanol is, by chemical definition, nearly pure alcohol. And it is the same type of alcohol used recreationally the world over. A scholar at the Saudi Islamic Jurisprudence Academy, Sheikh...
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AVL Turbohybrid Concept mates driving fun with efficiency
Turbocharged, fun-to-drive hatchbacks and sedans - not the first things that come to mind when we hear the word 'hybrid' but one company is working to change that. Hybrid technology has become hugely important in the industry and to many eco-conscious drivers as well, and though it offers some...
Nelson Ireson -
First Scuderi split-cycle engine prototype completed
American engineering firm Scuderi has announced the completion of the first prototype of its new ultra-efficient engine design called the ‘split-cycle’. The design uses a revolutionary new system to provide engines that release significantly fewer emissions than current offerings and is...
Ralph Hanson -
Bush administration defers CAFE decision to Obama
In a reversal on Bush's prior commitment to make a decision on the issue of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today revealed it will not make a decision before President-Elect Barack Obama takes office later this month. Proposed CAFE...
Ralph Hanson -
Honda developing electric motorcycle for 2010
Honda announced today that it will be developing an electric-powered motorcycle, with sales of the bike expected to begin some time next year. The news will be pleasing for those of you who remember Honda's electric moped concept that was unveiled back in 2004 but failed to see production. Honda's...
James Martinez -
European Parliament agrees to looser CO2 rules
In September, a committee in the European Parliament proposed easing the carbon dioxide emissions rules previously set to phase in over the next several years, and today the proposal was approved. The modifications require only 65% of manufacturer fleets to meet the strict 130g/km targets in 2012...
Nelson Ireson -
The European Union has reached an agreement on a greenhouse gas reduction program for new vehicles, announcing today that carmakers must cut their fleet-wide emissions levels by 18% within the next six years. The program will also see carbon-dioxide emissions levels for new cars cut to an average of 130g/km, with the cut-off date for compliance pushed back to 2015. It will still require approval by the European Parliament and all 27 EU nations before becoming law, but is not expected to change much, reports Automotive News. The original proposal would have seen the limits brought in as early...
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UK, France, Germany, Italy agree on CO2 limits
Italy has reportedly dropped its objections to a European Commission plan to introduce softer CO2 emission limits on new cars, leaving the door open for an EU-wide agreement on a 130g/km fleet wide CO2 limit. While still not official, inside government sources in Germany told Reuters that an...
Nelson Ireson -
Hydrogen-based technology claimed to boost power and reduce emissions
A company based in California is claiming to have developed an emissions-reducing product for conventional motor vehicles that it boasts could help the auto industry meet upcoming emissions regulations. The company is HydroLectricPower and the technology will be on show at this week's Los Angeles...
Jeremy Weber -
EU considering three year delay of 120g/km CO2 limit
The European Union is ready to abandon its long-established goal of cutting carbon dioxide limits for new vehicles to 120g/km by 2012. Under a proposal introduced during negotiations between nations in the EU late last week, the 120g/km limit originally set for 2012 would be pushed back to 2015, a...
Kenneth Hall -
Ferrari CEO flatly rules out diesels
The Germans are embracing diesels wholeheartedly, and many of the Fiat Group's companies have a standing relationship with the oily fuel, but Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa has ruled out any move toward the technology, at least within the next five years, and probably beyond that. "Diesel is not a...
Ralph Hanson -
Audi starts trial of fuel-saving Travolution traffic system
Most carmakers are focusing their efforts solely on reducing the tailpipe emissions of their vehicle lineups through conventional methods such as more efficient engines, advanced catalysts and lighter cars. Attacking vehicle emissions from a different angle, Audi is adding a new traffic management...
Nelson Ireson