Public Opinion seems to be oil and gas’ game

Last night I received an email from a friend asking my opinion of a graph that purportedly demonstrated that renewable energy is not worth the investment. This is not the first time that something like that has been sent to me. Why are so many people taking the time to produce such graphs and to rotate them around the net? What a waste of energy. Or is it?

It was a confusing graph with many curves and comments and made no sense whatsoever. But nevertheless, it was sure to make the over credulous think about keeping the status quo. However, the time for energy conversion is here and it is only a matter of time before we make the change. But it will take some work on our part. Sure we could make graphs that contend that renewable energy will make your hair grow back and that it will make the price of college education go down, but that is not necessary.

The tide has turned already. In watching the republican debates, it is refreshing to see the candidates speak about drilling, but staying away from falsehoods about renewable energy. They must know that tide of public opinion has turned in favor of renewable energy and to speak against would mean sudden political death.

Look around and you will see the change is happening. Spray insulation, low wattage bulbs such as LED, energy saving appliances and passive house standards are just a few of the things that are being implemented by those who want to be ahead of the curve. You have to believe that the cost of energy will always go up because historically that has been the way. Those who do not transition to renewable energy and electric transportation now will be the ones who feel the squeeze later.

That is the important message we should be giving to those who say renewable energy is not worth the investment.

Turn on the TV today and you get a confusing collage of clean natural gas, coal and gasoline efficient vehicles while some of the same companies are touting turbines and electric cars. The change is here and all of us should embrace it together and now.

Mitsubishi is beginning to promote their electric cars as is represented in the following video, joining the ranks of the LEAF and the VOLT. They will soon be joined by BMW, FORD and others, the future is here, don’t stay in the past.

 by George Lopez

NIssan LEAF Sales are Strong

The Nissan LEAF has taken a ready crowd by storm and maybe proving to be the ideal vehicle for certain folks. Certainly the sales success enjoyed by Nissan LEAF in the United States seems to be proving that. The Nissan LEAF has been outselling the Chevrolet Volt 2-1 in the US as this graphic from mynissanleaf.com shows:

Even more interesting from the website GoodCarBadCar.com the LEAF beat some other popular vehicles: "the Nissan LEAF's relatively small sales totals still stand up higher than the totals put up by cars you wouldn't have labelled unpopular. The Audi A5 is a sought after coupe, but the LEAF beat the A5 in August 2011. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport was America's 29th-best-selling luxury vehicle last month and 12th-best-selling luxury SUV. The LEAF beat the Range Rover Sport in August. The LEAF also crushed the currently-undergoing-renovations Toyota Yaris, fought off the perfect-for-family-hauling Mazda 5, whipped the failure-on-all-levels Honda Insight, and nipped the completely-opposite-to-the-LEAF Nissan Armada." See this interesting story here.

The website AutoBlog.com reported that the Chevy Volt will not be able to beat the LEAF in sales for at least the foreseeable future: "Don Johnson, GM's U.S. sales chief, told Ward's Auto that since dealers must stock a demo Volt before receiving salable units, retail sales of the plug-in sedan won't increase significantly anytime soon. During a conference call on Friday, Johnson added, "It's going to take us a month or two to really fill up the retail inventory for those dealers." It looks like our prediction that the Nissan Leaf will continue its electrifying reign over the Volt for the next couple of months will hold true." Read more here.

The LEAf with it's limitations is proving to be exactly what we needed and now to make it more user friendly the company has introduce a phone app for the Blackberry and the Droid that will make managing the car a little easier. The application will make it easier to remotely:

• Check the state of the battery charge
• Begin charging
• Check when battery charge is complete
• See estimated driving range
• Turn the climate control system on or off

“Nissan understands that telematics and other communication services are important for consumers,” said Trisha Jung, director, Vehicle Connected Services, Nissan North America. “By providing accessibility and functionality to the Nissan LEAF through all major smartphone platforms, we are truly delivering ‘Innovation for All.’”


The Chevrolet Volt is an awesome car and with it's great milage and range will continue to gain momentum with a range worried crowd. But the Nissan LEAF is proving that a true electric is very much in demand.

Where’s the EVs

My trip to the Annual DC Car Show at the Washington Convention Center yesterday began with the customary trip down I-295 and ended at the cavernous venue. The show as usual was well put together. The management staff does a great job with this event.

You know a renewable energy blogger is only looking for one thing at a car show, Electric Vehicles. Bring’ em to me; give me the keys, man! I want to zip quietly and fast through town, I want to feel those regenerative brakes under my LL beans, I want to smell batteries, baby!! Okay maybe not the batteries.



Chevy Volt

To my surprise, the only test drive being offered while I was there was from a gasoline KIA. Maybe I came on the wrong day? Okay, there’s got to be some awesome EV displays inside, right? I mean the electric vehicle is finally here, in mass production, being marketed.

I entered through the large GM display on the top floor and headed for the volt. It was not readily noticeable, but it was in a prominent location. One volt up on a turntable, I could tell right away that today was not going to be the get behind the wheel and smell the leather as in all the other cars on the floor that had multiple models of the same car.

Going through the equally large Chrysler display area, no EVs here. Just large gas guzzlers, except for one GEMCARS in the corner with no one tending to it.



Sandwiched in between GM and CHRYSLER was FIAT. They had a few compacts that looked nice and roomy, except for the yellow 1970 500L. This car was so small; it looked like a circus clown vehicle.

At the other end of the second floor was FORD with an even larger area full of cars. There was a lot of buzz here, and there it was! Finally, an electric vehicle on the floor! I couldn’t wait to get in it! But wait, the door is locked, NOOOO! From the exterior, the FOCUS was a stout looking machine, roomy with large tires, and since I couldn’t get in it, I shook it! It felt solid and heavy, maybe because of the batteries! Next to it was the CMAX ENERGI, a plug-in hybrid.

While looking at the FOCUS, I had an opportunity to speak with Regions University law professor Bruce Cameron. We talked about range and speed of electrics compared to gasoline vehicles. He had a view that an electric could not hold its own against gas, explaining that he traveled over two hundred miles at a time on trips to the family vacation home, so although he wanted to give the electrics a try, the recharge time was not feasible for him. He also commented on diesels and the mpg they are able to achieve in Europe. I agreed that electrics today are being marketed to the commuter and told him about the Better Place program being explored in Israel.



Technology Superhighway

I worked my way downstairs to the “Technology Superhighway”, an area dedicated to new technologies such as EVs. I had visions of seeing bright lights gleaming on the freshly painted electrics, with hundreds of people waiting to sign up to purchase one of these machines. I found myself salivating! I worked this area last year both as a reporter and as a volunteer for the guys at EVA of DC. I had felt the great enthusiasm as all the new companies vied for market share in an all new world. As I came down the escalator, I saw the guys from EVA who had a good presence. These guys are hobbyists who work on their conversions and also own some factory EVs.

LI-ION Motors

I had the pleasure of meeting Frank Ziegler of LI-ION Motors Corp who eagerly explained the details of the company's offering, a sexy red hotrod that he claimed was currently the fastest EV in the world, a 0-60 in five seconds Supercar with 150 mile range, Lemans suspension and advanced batteries for $139,000.



Buckeye Bullet

  Regrettably, I did not see any of the same manufacturers exhibiting last year such as the THINK and BOLDER electric vehicles. The remainder of the cars were not all that interesting except for the electric dragster named the Buckeye Bullet.  The Buckeye Bullet was built and is maintained by a student-run team based at Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research ( CAR ) which provides facility space and support. Ohio State has partnered with Venturini Motorsports to build the buckeye bullet and the company now plans to open a Columbus office to help supply parts.Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that the lighting was too dim to make the cars gleam. I continued my search for the elusive EV, thinking there have to be more electrics in here.


Smart

 The Smart Center of Tyson’s Corner had three EVs on display and a total of five ready for lease. The car has a top speed of 62 mph and an 85 mile range, said Wallace Rumbarger of Smart Center.



NISSAN’s display was a partially enclosed area with a large opening in the front with the LEAF situated so it was the first car you saw. There were not a lot of gas vehicles. You probably guessed that the only LEAF had locked doors, but it passed my shake test. Solid.



Nissan Leaf

It was disappointing that manufactures such as VW, HYUNDAI, MINI, and TOYOTA didn’t have their EV’s present, not even concepts. I walked away from this year's Show thinking, if EVs are to take off, there’s got to be a better effort to promote them. More cars, various colors, doors unlocked and open, and please-- test cars! I guess we will have to wait until next year to see if things improve. Meanwhile, we just need to get to the dealerships ourselves for those test drives.



Written by George Lopez

"make green a reality" visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/

Chevrolet Volt Rollout Speeds Up: Available Nationwide By End of 2011

Chevrolet is stepping up the national rollout of the Volt to match customer interest.


“We’re accelerating our launch plan to have Volts in all participating Chevrolet dealerships in every single state in the union by the end of this year,” said Rick Scheidt, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “This is the right thing to do for our customers and our dealers who are seeing increased traffic onto their showroom floors.”

Chevrolet Volts have been delivered to customers in the Washington D.C. area, as well as California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas. Customer deliveries in Michigan begin this spring.

Customers nationwide will be able to order Volts with participating dealers beginning in the second quarter. Deliveries will begin in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the third quarter.

During the fourth quarter, Chevrolet expects to deliver Volts in all 50 states.

The decision to accelerate the national rollout was influenced by Chevrolet dealers like Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg, Md., which has seen a surge of consumers interested in the Volt.

“The Volt is clearly bringing new customers to Chevrolet," said Harry E. Criswell III, president and owner of Criswell Chevrolet "We are seeing 10 to 15 customers a week who are seriously considering buying a Volt. Many of them own competitive brands and now have a Chevy on their shopping list because of the Volt."

Some of that consumer interest has been fueled by prestigious industry awards and recognitions for the Volt, including:

• 2011 North American Car of the Year
• Motor Trend 2011 Car of the Year
• Green Car Journal 2011 Green Car of the Year
• Car and Driver 10 Best for 2011
• Ward’s AutoWorld 10 Best Engines for 2011
• AUTOMOBILE Magazine 2011 Automobile of the Year
• 2010 Breakthrough Technology, by Popular Mechanics

“Such recognition provides customers with credible, expert endorsement of new models, which is important for vehicles like the Volt that feature significant new technologies,” said Scheidt. “Based on the awards the Volt has received, and the number of consumers expressing interest in the technology, we believe the Volt is the right car at the right time.”

The Volt is an electric vehicle that offers a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas- and tailpipe-emissions-free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank.


Ford is donating to Petersen Automotive Museum one of the two Focus Electric prototypes used on "The Jay Leno Show" during a celebrity driving segment called Green Car Challenge

Used throughout the 2010 season, the Electric Orange battery electric prototype was outfitted with Recaro racing seats, a full roll cage and a five-point racing harness for use on a racetrack designed specifically for the show

The all-new Focus Electric – Ford's first-ever all-electric passenger car – is a zero-emissions, gasoline-free vehicle that will be available in North America and Europe

You might remember seeing the bright orange Ford Focus Electric prototype running around a track and being driven by your favorite celebrities during the Green Car Challenge on "The Jay Leno Show" last year. Now, you will be able to see the same vehicle permanently plugged in at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Today, Ford officially handed the museum the keys to one of two Focus Electric prototypes used during the show's Green Car Challenge segment.

"This donation signifies Ford's transition from a prototype version of Focus Electric to the real production vehicle," said Matt VanDyke, Ford director of U.S. Marketing and Communications. "We still believe the Focus Electric prototype can continue to create awareness and excitement for electric vehicles like it did during the Green Car Challenge. The Petersen Automotive Museum is the perfect place for the car to do that."

Based on the European five-door production Focus ST, the racing prototype was specifically designed for "The Jay Leno Show" and used throughout the 2010 season. Tuned to perform on a racetrack, the Focus Electric was outfitted with Recaro racing seats, a full roll cage, five-point racing harness and an eye-catching Electric Orange paint scheme.

Actress Drew Barrymore was the first celebrity guest to accept the show's racing challenge. Other participants included Steve Carell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sheryl Crow, Serena Williams, Rush Limbaugh and more. Dr. Phil McGraw ended up having the fastest lap of all the celebrities to drive the vehicle.

The Focus Electric will now be the featured vehicle in the museum's permanent Alternative Power exhibit. The display highlights vehicles that feature engineering solutions outside of the standard gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine. Some of the other alternative-fuel vehicles in the exhibit include an electric car built in 1897, a wood-burning truck and the 1974 Dutcher – a steam-powered car on loan to the Petersen from Jay Leno.

"We are excited to add the Ford Focus Electric to our collection," said Buddy Pepp, Petersen Automotive Museum executive director. "It is a historically significant car on many levels. Not only is this prototype Ford Motor Company's first all-electric passenger car, but it also has a local Hollywood connection. Vehicles like this reflect our mission to explore and present the history of the automobile and its impact on American life and culture using Los Angeles as the prime example."

"make green a reality" visit http://www.thesolarandwindexpo.com/