Whether it’s putting renewable energy from the sun or wind into your plug-in car, burning natural gas in a Honda Civic GX (the greenest vehicle of 2011) or making biodiesel for your pickup truck, putting your money down on a vehicle that’s not powered (solely, at least) by gasoline gives the auto industry one more reason to offer us even more choices … eco friendly insurance. Get an insurance …

While plug-ins dominate the auto industry by 2020? Have electric vehicles been over-hyped or are they being under-estimated? Over and over I hear plug-in fans and advocates claim that plug-in vehicles are going to go mainstream much faster than what industry analysts, forecasts and studies suggest. In fact, many claim that by around 2020, plug-in…

Plugging in just a niche technology for decades? The plug-in revolution will take decades to advance into the mainstream As I’ve rested in bed the last several days, struck down by a nasty virus, one quote has been bouncing around my head. “To compete with advancing gasoline/diesel engines, EV traction batteries have to be much more than twice as energy dense as lithium-ion ever will be, at least three …

EcoBoost a green perception threat to hybrid cars? Still a CAFE leader Just finished reading a summary of Shell Oil’s update to its 2008 Shell Energy Scenarios to 2050 report that focuses on how the recession has changed the company’s view of the next 40 years of energy. Essentially, the world…

Hybrids for blind people Robotic cars will forever change the auto industry If you follow this blog, then you know I’m a big fan of auto-drive technologies. I believe such technologies will revolutionize the auto industry in ways we’re only beginning to imagine today. Minimally, significantly increased safety will help lighten cars. This alone could be critical to mainstreaming battery…

It's not about volume, but technological breakthroughs Still focused on band-aid solutions? Despite the fact that there has already been tens of millions worth of plug-in tax credit fraud, the idea of point of sale plug-in tax credits – proposed in new legislation – makes sense, but I cannot help but wonder …

How does the rest of the world survive without such large pickups? Can capitalism and energy independence be friends? If automakers were forced to achieve a CAFE requirement of 62 mpg by 2025, they could do it a top GM executive said at the National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention – a sentiment reiterated by other auto executives. No, 62 mpg by 2025 won’t be easy for either …

Let me just say that there are a ton of green cars that are on the market already, coming to consumers soon, or concepts that may develop to additional options. Among several new electric cars that have been …. Ford invited over 100 bloggers from 10 countries to cover its Driving Green Technologies and learn about how the …

Maybe late to EV production, but not patents Alternative vehicle technology patent filings on the rise According to the 2010 Innovation Report: Twelve Key Industries and Their States of Innovation by Thomson Reuters, automotive patent filings jumped significantly in 2010 compared to 2009, with patent filings in the alternative vehicle sector leading the …

Shoulda had a Volt? Did Toyota blow a big opportunity? When the Chevy Volt finally went on sale after years of marketing, the folks over at LeaseTrader.com expected a number of Toyota Prius lessees to inquire about turning in their Prius leases in order to pursue a Chevy Volt purchase or lease. Well, that early Volt marketing worked…

Is Congress just a bunch of pig farmers? Does the GOP have an energy vision for 2020? Last night I caught an episode of Dead Man Walking, the new AMC series. Just before the Centers for Disease Control Atlanta headquarters was about to blow up because they had run out of oil, the last CDC scientist said something like ‘we still power our world…

On board information, telematics are key emerging trends in the auto industry. Focusing on mega trends One of the top industries for embracing technological change is telecommunications, and new GM CEO Dan Akerson is using his experience at Nextel and MCI Communications to bring such a focus to the auto industry. Consequently, Chairman Thomas Stephens has been named global chief technology officer. In that role Stephens will …