Video - Green Vehicles at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show

Although green vehicles were in scarce supply at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show compared to previous years, here are visuals for some of the greenest cars on display at this year's show. This includes offerings from:

Toyota's Resource Efficiency: Best Practice in Integrating Industrial Sustainability and Eliminating Waste

Resource efficiency is the rage in 2014 and Toyota is one of the world’s most resource efficient companies. Simply put Toyota abhors waste and here is a summary of Toyota's secrets to achieve radical resource efficiency.  Steve Hope, General Manager Environmental Affairs and Corporate Citizenship, Toyota Motor Europe, explains how Toyota has dramatically improved its resource efficiency, reducing its energy, water and waste per vehicle by 70%, 75% and 60% respectively from 1993 to 2007. This video effectively summarizes the systems, processes, culture, enablers, tools and habits that have helped Toyota to reach the top of their industry.

Video - Nissan BladeGlider Zero Emission Electric Concept Car

While green cars were MIA at the recent Detroit Auto Show, the Nissan BladeGlider was one of several zero emission vehicles unveiled at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show in November. The BladeGlider is a futuristic Delta Wing electric car concept designed by Ben Bowlby. His wedge shape may look showy but it has real practical aerodynamic benefits including an awesome drag coefficient. This 3 seat concept is only 3.3 feet across the front. The BladeGlider is an ultra light weight vehicle that is stable and corners as well as anything in its class. The power and drive trains is where this car truly shows its green credentials.

Electric and Hybrid Cars MIA at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show

Greener cars appear to be missing at this year's Detroit Auto Show. One of the most high profile vehicles at the show was the the 620-horsepower 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Other notable vehicles on display were two 2015 products from Ford, the F-150 pickup truck and the iconic Mustang. Even Kia has opted to focus on performance over efficiency by debuting a concept sports car called the GT4 Stinger. Electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles were altogether absent in Detroit this year.

In 2010 almost all the major automakers were aggressively promoting a growing number of electric and hybrid cars. The Ford Fusion hybrid won the 2010 North American Car award at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Toyota introduced the FT-CH concept car, a subcompact hybrid. BMW showed the ActiveE concept, Honda debuted the CR-Z a two-seat hybrid. Audi unveiled its e-tron, an electric sports car that can accelerate to 60 mph in less than five seconds. Subaru shared its Hybrid Tourer concept, Tesla released its Model S sedan, Volkswagen put its hybrid-powered NCC on display and Volvo announced its test fleet of 50 electric C30s. However, at the 2014 Detroit auto show there are no global debuts of new plug-in electric cars, hybrids or even new diesel vehicles, but there are lots of luxury models, high-performance cars and sports cars.

General Motors: Government Bailout to Environmental Sustainability

On Monday December 9, the US government sold its remaining stake in General Motors Co. (GM). While the automaker is doing well financially, it is also making progress in terms of sustainability.

By most accounts the government bailout of the U.S. auto industry was a success. This view is convincingly communicated in a new study by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) called ”The Effect on the U.S. Economy of the Successful Restructuring of General Motors.”

The U.S. government was repaid the $39.5 billion it lent to GM as part of the 2008-2009 auto bailout, which forced GM and its Chevrolet division into a government-backed bankruptcy. According to the CAR study, in addition to saving 2.6 million jobs in 2009, the bailout preserved $284.4 billion in personal income between 2009 and 2010. In less than five years GM and other American automakers have become profitable and they have added more than 372,000 new jobs. However, the bailout was not only an economic success, it bought GM time to improve its environmentally destructive trajectory.

Increasing Vehicle Efficiency with New Lightweight Materials

New lightweight materials will help the automotive industry to be more efficient. Vehicular propulsion is all about the power to weight ratio. Lighter weight vehicles require less energy and are therefore more efficient.  According to a report from Lux Research new lightweight technologies are able to provide the same degree of structural robusticity as heavier traditional materials.  This is a trend that Lux Research anticipates  will revolutionize the transportation sector.

These emerging lightweight structural materials save fuel, which is an important strategic consideration for car makers both to minimize energy requirements and to save on fuel costs.  Energy use is expected to rise 53 percent from 2008 levels to 765 quadrillion BTUs in 2035.

Infographic - Nissan Leaf US Sales by State

Interactive Map - Find an Alternative Fuel or EV Charging Station Near You

Fisker May be Saved by Hong Kong Tycoon's Investor Group

Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li, who is already invested in Fisker, has put together an investment group that has bought the ailing electric car company's $168 million loan from the US Department of Energy.  By buying the loan Li will be free to restructure the company without being fettered by DoE obligations.

Fisker, which was started in 2007, secured over a billion dollars in investment. However, in July 2012 the company suspended building the plug-in hybrid Karma, its extended range luxury electric sedan, when battery producer A123 Systems Inc. went into bankruptcy protection. The company also suspended development of its less expensive ($55,000) Atlantic.

The Top 10 Best Selling Hybrid Cars in the US (2013)

There are a number of hybrid vehicles that have flooded the marketplace in the last few years. The number of available hybrid brands in the US market has more than doubled since 2007. There were a total of 434,498 hybrid electric vehicles sold in the US in 2012. The EIA estimates that in 2010 there were about 9 million alternative fuel vehicles in the United States. According to Annual Energy Outlook 2013, in 2010 there were 1,890,265 Hybrid Gas/Diesel-Electric vehicles in the US. As reported in June, 2012 there were 2,180,000 hybrid cars in the US.

Toyota has consistently offered the most fuel efficient hybrid vehicles. As of 2009 Toyota had captured almost three quarters of the US hybrid market. Although Toyota now has considerably more competition, they remain the dominant force in US hybrid sales in the 2013 model year with two best selling hybrid cars and five cars in the top 10.

Here is hybridCars' 2013 list of the ten best selling hybrid cars in the US along with their fuel efficiency numbers and price tags:

Two Leading Japanese Electric Cars: Honda Fit EV and Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Japan has been the world leader in well priced fuel efficient small cars for decades and this leadership continues as we enter the era of electric vehicles. The Honda Fit EV and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV are two of the best Japanese small cars and two of the most fuel efficient vehicles in the world.

The 2013 Honda Fit EV (Electric vehicle), has received a combined adjusted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPG (equivalent), and an unprecedented low consumption rating of just 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles. The EPA estimates that annual fuel costs will be only $500.

Exploring the Demand for Hybrid Vehicles in the US

Hybrid vehicles are gaining in popularity in the US. The three primary reasons appear to be that consumers want to save money on gas, minimize their environmental impacts and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

An analysis from Frost & Sullivan reveals that revenues in the US market totaled $373.2 million in 2005 and reached $851.9 million in 2012.

A 2012 Harris Interactive poll indicated that interest in hybrids is growing across all demographics but particularly the younger (18-35) demographic. For this group 32 percent of those polled indicated interest in hybrids. Of those polled 23 percent said they are more interested in hybrid technology vehicles than in pure electric or pure gas vehicles, while 9 percent expressed interest in a fully electric vehicle.

US Government's New Car Ratings

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation issued two new labels for the fuel-economy stickers that will be affixed to new car windows. The designs are scheduled to appear in 2012.

One design would feature a large letter grade for a car's fuel economy and emissions levels. The other design would feature numbers that include the car's miles-per-gallon score and the estimated annual cost of filling its gas tank or battery.

The agencies were acting on the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, which charged them to rate vehicles for fuel economy, greenhouse gases and smog-forming pollutants.

According to the agencies, almost 80 percent of 2010 vehicles will land between C+ and B. So far, the only vehicles getting an A (defined as 40 mpg equivalent or better), are hybrids and electric cars. There is no F rating, the agencies said, because all vehicles will have met Clean Air Act standards.

Letter grading could affect sales of some of the best selling cars and trucks. Of 675 pickup and SUV models in 2010, only eight models reach B+; most get B- or below.

The EPA sought the advice of the automotive industry, academics, expert panels and consumers. Agency focus groups, reviewed reports on how consumers shop for new vehicles and ran an online survey on the different labels. The expert panel's message was to keep it simple.

With the exception of Nissan, the automotive industry did not like the letter grade. Nissan likes the letter grade, because the 0 emission Leaf will very likely to get an A.

Academics, expert panels and consumers all seemed to prefer the letter grade. The label with the letter grade helps makes the value of fuel efficiency clearer.


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