From Austin to Boston on Natural Gas
Last summer, Castlen Kennedy went on a 10-day, 2,500 mile roadtrip from Austin, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts. Driving with her friend, Cheryl Dalton, Castlen drove through 13 states in this 10-day period, all in the comfort of a Chevy Tahoe that had been converted to run on natural gas, in addition to gasoline. Over the 2,500 miles, Castlen and Cheryl managed to drive exclusively on natural gas,... Read More
Turning the off Lights Won’t Save Oil
Today, more than 80% of the energy used in the United States comes from fossil fuels – specifically from petroleum, natural gas and coal. In the transportation sector, this number is even higher with fossil fuels (almost exclusively petroleum) supplying 97% of the total energy used. But, on the electric power side of the equation, while coal and natural gas still supply more than two-thirds... Read More
Guest Post: No, We’re Not There Yet – The Trouble With Hydrogen Cars
By Sheril Kirshenbaum One of the perks of being a Hill staffer is access to cool new technologies when lobbyists visit. And so in 2006, I looped around D and 2nd in a hydrogen car. When I asked the nice man who brought the vehicle about safety and the inherent ‘chicken and egg’ problem (cars and fueling stations – which comes first?), he provided a clearly scripted response intended to brush... Read More
(Un)Reliable Energy Supplies – Transportation
The world’s level of dependence on petroleum for its transportation needs is concerning for a number of reasons, including the reliability of this energy supply. Even with recent reductions in fuel imports, half of the oil used in the U.S. transportation sector today is produced in other countries. This introduces questions regarding the reliability of our energy supply, and what we might do if... Read More
Ferrari President Says “No” to Electric
Earlier this month, at the Ferrari World Design Contest 2011, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemelo was asked about his thoughts on alternative vehicle technologies. In response, he singled out electric vehicle technology, saying: “You will never see a Ferrari electric because I don’t believe in electric cars, because I don’t think they represent an important step forward for pollution... Read More
Obama Announces New Fuel Standards
On Friday, President Obama announced a new set of U.S. fuel standards. According to the announcement these new standards will save U.S. consumers an estimated $1.7 trillion dollars over the life of their vehicles by increasing teh fleet-wide average fuel economy to 54.5 miles-per-gallon. At the same time, these standards will eliminate 6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution and save 12 billion... Read More
The Penalty for Early Withdrawals
Originally published on 7/18/11 on Scientific American’s blog “Plugged In.” This summer, U.S. gas prices have settled into the $3.50 to $4.00 range and we are feeling the pinch. The average American now spends 9% of their income on gas – with Mississippians topping the scale at over 14%. But, despite these high gas prices, there is significant opposition to releasing... Read More
Obama Taps Strategic Petroleum Reserves
Yesterday, the Obama Administration announced that it had authorized the Department of Energy to tap into the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to the tune of 30 million barrels of oil. This volume will be matched by another 30 million barrels released by other industrialized nations in an international effort to drop high crude oil prices and offset production losses stemming from... Read More
Senate Votes – No more ethanol subsidies
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted decisively in favor of ending ethanol subsidies and removing tariffs for imported alternative fuels. With a vote of 73-27, the Senators approved an amendment authored by Senator Feinstein (a Democrat from California) that eliminates the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit. This credit provided a 45 cent/gallon tax credit for blending ethanol into regular gasoline.... Read More
CarStations: Find Your Charge
CarStations and its interactive map shows where electric car charging stations are located around the world. It uses Google’s map interface to allow you to focus on your area to find charging stations near your home or work. Users can add stations as they are built. This type of interface and the constantly evolving map can help electric car owners to plan routes that will allow them to get around... Read More
