Show Me the Money

I have a new found appreciation for Thomas Friedman after seeing him on the Rachel Maddow show about two weeks ago. His clarity and consistency of message is to be admired. His latest column again discusses Copenhagen, climate change and changing our consumption habits in America even when everyone else seems to have moved on to more important things like Tiger Woods and coverage of doorbuster sales for the holidays - www.nytimes.com. I give him props for consistently pushing the message for a green tech revolution in this country to shift our dependance from (foreign) oil to renewable and greener forms of energy. As Friedman points out, too much money has been spent by lobbyists and corporations to keep us addicted to fossil fuel and too many politicians have personally profited from their efforts for real change to have occurred. Let us hope in the New Year that we can collectively clear our heads and get serious about being leaders of a green revolution which will create jobs, invest in the future and address climate change. May 2010 be more successful than Copenhagen!

CAFE au Tech

Experts are urging the EPA to include new technologies which make cars more efficient in the new CAFE Scores. As reported in the November 16, 2009 issue of Automotive News, CAFE requirements will be raised by 40% to 35.5 mpg by 2016 which is a marked improvement from today's standards, however, even better would be credits for technologies such as systems that provide alerts when oil changes, new brake fluid and transmissions cleanings are due as well as infrared reflective glass to reduce the heat trapped in cars. In this way, high mpg as well as greener technologies would be acknowledged and rewarded. Already automakers get CAFE credit for flex-fuel vehicles that run on E85 and a proposal would give credit to vehicle fleets with greener air conditioning units. Why not other technologies as well? I'll have a grande Cafe au Tech with adaptive cruise control, extra real-time traffic alerts, topped with solar panels, please.

In It To Win It

Following in the footsteps of the most successful line of hybrid vehicles, Toyota plans to offer a plug in hybrid vehicle by 2011 - www.nytimes.com. This is in response to a renewed focus on plug-in technology, most notably the Chevy Volt to be released in late 2010. The car uses a lithium-ion battery and can travel 14.5 miles on a single charge before the hybrid-electric motor kicks in. The estimated mileage for the car is an astonishing 134mpg! That will make up for some of the Hummers still on the road.

Toyota also promises that the car will be "affordable" but no price tag has been given yet. As with all new technologies it will be more expensive, however, with the excellent mileage, the reduced fuel costs might make up for the up front expenditure in short order. Charging the battery at night when electricity prices are lower would also help cut energy costs of the car. This brings up the issues of widespread use of plug-in technology and the resulting burden on the electrical grid and increased emissions from power plants to meet electricity demands. We already have an energy crisis in this country and more demand would strain the already faulty system. Truth be told, I would rather there be rolling blackouts because of plug-in vehicles rather than air conditioning units. The grid should not be an obstacle for greener modes of transportation.

Blades of Wonder

A way to make your car more sustainable without changing it's mileage or emissions is easy with Silicon wiper blades. They are incredibly durable and will outlast the best of 20 rubber blades combined (an approximation). This means less money spent by you, less energy used and less materials needed to make replacement blades. Traditional rubber blades are carbon based and break down because of sunlight, temperature extremes, air pollution and road grime. Silicone is a more durable material and stands up to the elements with vigor. Hi ya! Tripledge wiper blades also have patented hydrophobic properties which means they repel water and make a cleaner swipe across your windshield - http://www.thewiperstore.com/Silicone-Wiper-Blades/. Just be careful you don't get distracted by the wonder of the blades as you drive.

Electrify Me

With the introduction of electric and plug-in hybrids in the car market we are going to have to begin using a different way to measure efficiency. After all, no gallons are involved in an electric vehicle. Richard Truett in the November 16, 2009 issue of Automotive News reports on a way to measure efficiency of electric vehicles by using a $/100 miles conversion. Of course the average price of electricity varies across the country but an average price is quoted as $0.12/kilowatt-hour. If an electric vehicle uses 4.4 kwh/10 miles then the energy cost per 100 miles is $5.28 (4.4x10x$0.12= $5.28). Assuming an average price of $3.21/gallon of gasoline and a 25mpg vehicle, the cost per 100 miles for a gasoline powered car is much higher at $12.84/100 miles. Calculating the cost for a plug-in hybrid is more complicated but still averages less than a standard gasoline powered car.

Now, there are several major issues in using plug in technology. The first is that the energy produced in this country comes largely from fossil fuel sources and thus would be shifting the transportation energy needs of the country from petroleum to coal and natural gas. Coal is a particularly nasty polluter and increased demand for electricity would potentially mean more demand for coal (unless the coal lobby and those politicians who represent them suddenly drop of the face of the earth). Renewable energy output will increase but we all know the strength and influence of the fossil fuel lobby in this country is enormous. It is why we haven't moved away from them in the past. Remember when Reagan removed the solar panels from the White House?

Another obvious issue is the cost of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. They can be prohibitively expensive even with the associated fuel savings. Nobody wants to see an $80,000 or even $300,000 price tag for the latest technologies on the market. The price has to be reduced in order for electric vehicles to be viable. Despite these concerns, electric vehicles may be the way of the future. Petroleum is a finite resource and supplies will eventually not be able to meet demand. At least people are now addressing these issues in meaningful ways. I don't think the electric car will be killed again. Talk about something we can't afford.

1984 in 2009

ECOBOT is offering a free carbon calculator for your personal computer designed to track your carbon footprint by keeping tabs of your fuel, power and paper usage. Neat idea, right? Maybe the device would help make people more energy conscious like those new electricity meters being installed in some homes as part of the stimulus package. However, as reported on Treehugger, much of the important data to calculate an accurate carbon footprint has to be entered manually - http://www.treehugger.com. This is a deterrent for all the lazy people out there. What the device does automatically is track your computer and thus your position via satellite and then asks you upon your arrival at a destination how you reached that point. Sounds awfully Orwellian to me but I suppose it can't be any worse than the Patriot Act or the secret surveillance programs of the Bush administration. At least people sign up to be tracked by the calculator. What would be beneficial is to have a thoroughly automatic devise to calculate your footprint, or a combination of different calculators to track home energy, fuel and paper use in addition to transportation energy use. I bet smart meters in both homes and cars would make people more aware of just how much energy we consume in this country. Let's move on from the 1984 mentality of energy consumption and into 2009 and beyond.

Really, Really Cool

The EPA and the Department of Transportation are looking to reduce carbon emissions by using different chemicals in the refrigerants of cars. Currently the chemicals CFC-12 and R-134a are used which contribute heavily to global warming but a new chemical 1234yf will be phased in over the next few years. 1234yf is a near "drop-in" replacement for the current chemicals which means refrigerant systems in cars will not have to be altered - http://aftermarketbusiness.search-autoparts.com. Still, US automakers will not be using 1234yf until 2012 or beyond because of lax regulation. Not surprisingly, Europe is ahead of America on environmental issues and have upgraded the refrigerants used in cars because of stricter emissions standards. The one downside of 1234yf is that it is highly flammable. The combustion of 1234yf would be really, really hot in the worst kind of way. Even hotter than global warming.