(Urban Air Initiative) In plot twist that may open the door to higher ethanol blends, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received an engine patent it has been pursuing for nearly a decade for a high efficiency, high compression
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)
Back TO HOMECalls for Indian Government to Lower Taxes on Biodiesel and Hybrid Cars
(Biofuels International) Indian union minister Nitin Gadkari will urge the country’s finance minister to reduce the goods and services tax (GST) rates on cars that run on biodiesel, as well as hybrid vehicles, according to Times of India’s The Economic
May 25, 2017 Read Full Article
RethinkX: Self-Driving Electric Cars Will Dominate Roads by 2030
by Mark Anderson (IEEE Spectrum) Within 13 years self-driving cars will dominate the roads, representing some 95% of all car miles driven, according to a new study released this week. And while 40% of the cars in 2030 will still
May 18, 2017 Read Full Article
Big Oil Betting On Electric Vehicles
by Jon LeSage (OilPrice.com) Speaking this week at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York, Total SA’s chief energy economist, Joel Couse, forecasted that EVs will make up 15 to 30 percent of global new vehicle sales by
May 02, 2017 Read Full Article
California Gov. Approves Fuel Tax, Vehicle Fee Transportation Package
(NGT News) California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. has signed into law the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which will raise $52.4 billion over the next decade through an increase in fuel taxes and vehicle fees – including on
May 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars Face Obstacle - Few Fueling Stations
by Dee-Ann Durbin (Associated Press) Hydrogen fuel cell cars could one day challenge electric cars in the race for pollution-free roads — but only if more stations are built to fuel them. Honda, Toyota and Hyundai have leased a few hundred
April 20, 2017 Read Full Article
Use of Renewable Fuel by All Ground Transit Sought by 2045
by Kathryn Mykleseth (Honolulu Star Advertiser) A key Senate committee passed a bill Monday that sets a goal of having all ground transportation in Hawaii run on renewable fuel by 2045. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means passed HB 1580, which
April 13, 2017 Read Full Article
RFS: New Revenue Stream for Biomass Facilities?
by Bob Cleaves (Biomass Power Association/Biomass Magazine) ... Unbeknownst to many in the biomass power sector, there may be a role for biomass power producers to play in the RFS. Electric vehicles (EVs) represent an increasing share of the automotive market,
April 11, 2017 Read Full Article
Biofuels Could Cut Transport Emissions – But Food May Be at Risk
by Maina Waruru (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Growing use of electric vehicles around the world is helping lower climate changing emissions, but some means of transport will be hard to electrify, particularly air travel and shipping, energy experts say. To “decarbonise” those,
March 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Report Analyzes the Use of Biogas-Derived Electricity To Power Electric Vehicles
(U.S. Department of Energy) With joint funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Strategic Programs, Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), and Vehicle Technologies Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) published a report titled Analyzing the Impacts of a Biogas-to-Electricity
February 28, 2017 Read Full Article
US Drivers to Rely on Internal Combustion for Decades to Come
(Fuel Freedom Foundation/Ethanol Producer Magazine) By 2050, there will be three billion light-duty vehicles (LDVs) on the road. Even under the most optimistic forecast, alternative vehicles will account for — at best — 50 percent of the total worldwide fleet,
February 27, 2017 Read Full Article
Propel Fuels Serves Largest US E85 Market in California
(Propel Fuels/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Propel Fuels, the nation’s leading retailer of E85 Flex Fuel, welcomed the 2017 National Ethanol Conference to California, America’s largest E85 market. Having cracked the code to high volume E85 sales, Propel sells more than 500
February 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Report: Six States Propose New Electric Vehicle Fees
by Robert Walton (Utility Dive) The Sierra Club says six states have proposed legislation this year that would add to the cost of owning an electric vehicle, worrying clean energy advocates who say owning emissions-free vehicles should be incentivized rather
February 24, 2017 Read Full Article
Big Corn Courts Old Foe Big Oil to Combat Electric Car Threat
by Chris Prentice (Reuters) A U.S. biofuels lobbying group on Tuesday said it is seeking to work with longtime rival the oil industry to fight the threat to both from subsidies for electric vehicles. The two industries have been at loggerheads
February 22, 2017 Read Full Article
ZEVs Don’t Have Zero Emissions: Letter
by Don Siefkes (E100 Ethanol Group/Biofuels Digest) In an unpublished letter to the Wall Street Journal, Don Siefkes, Executive Director of the E100 Ethanol Group writes: Regarding Mike Spector’s Feb. 13 article, “Biggest Driver of Cleaner-Car Rules …,” Ms. Mary Nichols, Chairwoman
February 20, 2017 Read Full Article
BP Predicts 100 Million EVs on the Road by 2035. But They ‘Won’t Be a Game-Changer’ for Oil Demand
by Mike Stone (GreenTechMedia.com) BP’s annual report on the global energy market is notoriously conservative when it comes to alternative technologies—and this year is no different. -- Despite a massive increase in electric vehicles and other non-conventional cars, the internal
February 13, 2017 Read Full Article
The $40 Carbon Tax Is Dead as a Doornail, and Here’s Why
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This past week, a group headed by former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Jim Baker proposed dramatically to introduce a $40 per ton carbon tax in order to address the rising threat from global
February 13, 2017 Read Full Article
Green Fuels Key to Low-Carbon Future, UK’s Transport Minister Says
by Liz Gyekye (Biofuels International) Renewable fuels will play a critical role in decarbonising the transport sector, and will complement the role of electric vehicles -- Transport Minister John Hayes has said. The UK’s Department for Transport will spend £20 million
January 25, 2017 Read Full Article
U.S. Energy Department Publishes "The Transforming Mobility Ecosystem: Enabling an Energy-Efficient Future"
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Energy Department published a report titled, “The Transforming Mobility Ecosystem: Enabling an Energy-Efficient Future.” Over the next decade, the transportation sector is poised for rapid change, propelled toward a new mobility future by strong technology currents
January 19, 2017 Read Full Article
Electric Vehicles Threaten to Overtake Biofuels
by Jan Rocha (Climate News Network) A sharp increase in the predicted global number of EVs prompts Brazil to rev up its promotion of low-carbon biofuels. -- By 2040, the number of electric cars in the world could have reached
January 06, 2017 Read Full Article
The Clean Tech Primer 2017
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New York, Raymond James released its Clean Tech Primer 2017, arguably the most cogent and concise summary of activity and prospects across the gamut from solar power through to water technology, including all biofuels,
January 06, 2017 Read Full Article
Tossed Aside in the 'White Gold' Rush: Indigenous People Are Left Poor as Tech World Takes Lithium from under Their Feet
Story by Todd C. Frankel and Peter Whoriskey; Photos and videos by Michael Robinson Chavez; Video editing by Jorge Ribas (The Washington Post) In the thin air of the salt flats here, nearly 13,000 feet above sea level, the indigenous Atacamas people
December 19, 2016 Read Full Article
BMW Sees Battery Costs Causing Years of 'Tears' on E-Cars
by Elisabeth Behrman (Bloomberg) With driving ranges limited by current technology, BMW expects it to take about seven years to double the amount of energy stored in a battery. -- BMW AG (IW 1000/27) sees no quick way to boost
December 12, 2016 Read Full Article
#Biofuels Could Benefit Under Trump
by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) At the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS & Seed Expo this week, noted agricultural economist Dan Basse with Ag Resource Company once again provided his global outlook for agriculture, which includes the outlook for biofuels. Basse
December 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Investors Warn Car Industry over Climate Change
by Terry Macalister (The Guardian) Car manufacturers told they must address climate change by switching to low-emission models − or face a sell-off of their shares, reports Climate News Network -- Major investors have warned the automotive industry it needs
October 18, 2016 Read Full Article
EPA’s Plan for Electric Vehicles Could Upend RFS Politics
by Eric Wolff (Politico/Governors' Biofuels Coalition) The Obama administration’s newest plan to stimulate sales of electric vehicles could deliver a political boost to supporters of the Renewable Fuel Standard, aligning automakers with biofuel backers against the oil industry’s attacks on
October 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Hillary Clinton Said America Is Energy Independent. It Is Not
by Tom DiChristopher (CNBC) Hillary Clinton said during the second presidential debate on Sunday that the United States has achieved energy independence, but the country still imports millions of barrels a day of oil and petroleum products — much of it
October 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Jolt of Electricity for RFS
by Anthony Adragna (Politico's Morning Energy) The Obama administration's latest effort to stimulate sales of electric vehicles could deliver a political boost to supporters of the Renewable Fuel Standard, aligning automakers with biofuel backers against the oil industry's attacks on the
October 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Strategic Intent: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Neste, Nissan
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This season, The Digest is hosting the Strategic Intent webinar series, looking at the plans, progress and future milestones of strategic stakeholders in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In this slide deck, we looked at Nissan and
October 05, 2016 Read Full Article
In Your Phone, in Their Air: A Trace of Graphite Is in Consumer Tech. In These Chinese Villages, It’s Everywhere.
by Peter Whoriskey (The Washington Post) ... Smaller and more powerful than their predecessors, lithium batteries power smartphones and laptop computers and appear destined to become even more essential as companies make much larger ones to power electric cars. The companies making those
October 03, 2016 Read Full Article
The Cobalt Pipeline: Tracing the Path from Deadly Hand-Dug Mines in Congo to Consumers’ Phones and Laptops
by Todd C. Frankel (The Washington Post) ... This remote landscape in southern Africa lies at the heart of the world’s mad scramble for cheap cobalt, a mineral essential to the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
The Kochs Are Plotting A Multimillion-Dollar Assault On Electric Vehicles
by Peter Stone (The Huffington Post) ... A new group that’s being cobbled together with fossil fuel backing hopes to spend about $10 million dollars per year to boost petroleum-based transportation fuels and attack government subsidies for electric vehicles, according to
September 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Sell Last Gasoline Car by 2035 to Meet Climate Goals, Study Says
by Alister Doyle (Reuters) The last gasoline-powered car will have to be sold by about 2035 to put the world on track to limit global warming to the most stringent goal set by world leaders last year, a study said on
September 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Survey Shows Suppliers Support for Existing 2025 Federal Light-duty Vehicle Fuel Economy Regulation
(CALSTART) First-ever fuel economy survey of auto suppliers: 70 percent don’t want policymakers to change standards -- Tier 1 suppliers want long-term goals, support 2025 targets Major automotive suppliers see national fuel economy standards as important for long-term planning and investment and
September 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels: Pumped but Facing an Uphill Struggle
(Ecogeneration) It’s a hard road for the Australian biofuels industry, which turns out bioethanol (or E10 as it’s known at the pump) and biodiesel. Until motorists instinctively reach for the bio-blend pumps the sector has had to rely on “government
September 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Could A Lithium Shortage De-Rail The Electric Car Boom?
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) ... Lithium is our new fuel, but like fossil fuels, the reserves we’re currently tapping into are finite—and that’s what investors can take to the bank. ... And yet, despite this skepticism, lithium demand is rising steadily and
August 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Maryland Launches AFV Incentive, Infrastructure Programs
(NGT News) The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) says that it is now accepting applications for the Maryland Freedom Fleet Voucher (FFV) Program, which intends to provide incentives for various alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), over the 2017 fiscal year. ... As reported, eligible vehicles
August 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Sustainable Transportation Summit--Day 1 Bits and Pieces
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) When it's called the "inaugral Sustainable Transportation Summit," you know the organizers anticipate more to come. Discussed for the past four years or so, the US Department of Transportation's Office of Energy Efficiency &
July 12, 2016 Read Full Article
California Ponders Changes to Fuel Rules as Tesla Cries Foul
by John Lippert (Bloomberg) ... The rapid growth of Tesla Motors Inc. and the increasing range of other electric vehicles have the state contemplating new requirements that anger both Tesla and competitors like Honda Motor Co. They say California is changing
July 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Biofuels Are Vital to an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy
by William Feehery (The Hill/DuPont Industrial Biosciences) ... One of the most vital and immediate tools at our disposal in the campaign for energy independence is renewable fuel. It is the only technology that can address the de-carbonization of the
July 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Volkswagen's Diesel Settlement Will Fund Range of Clean Air Efforts
by David Shepardson and Joel Schectman (Reuters) German automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) will pay more than $15.3 billion to settle charges that it cheated on U.S. diesel emissions tests, an agreement that will fund buybacks for consumers and provide up to
June 28, 2016 Read Full Article
Modernizing the Electric Grid and Its Integration with the Transportation Sector
by Bill Brandon (Biofuels Digest/) ... Some, like Mark Z. Jacobson, assert battery electric vehicles (BEV) are “the key transportation solution”. ... Just deploying BEVs does not guarantee they will be clean. The Dutch effort to push BEVs resulted in an increased
June 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Electric Cars Are Not Necessarily Clean
by David Biello (Scientific American) Your battery-powered vehicle is only as green as your electricity supplier -- ... Tesla has advertised its vehicles as having zero emissions, helping fuel the mania for the fun-driving sedan, but that's not necessarily true. Although the
May 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Volkswagen Teams with Shell to Convince EU the Way to Decarbonize Transport
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Belgium, Volkswagen has teamed with Shell on a new report by Roland Berger promoting a policy path forward towards a European transport market that achieves environmental and GHG goals set at the COP21 meeting
April 29, 2016 Read Full Article
Tesla And Other Tech Giants Scramble For Lithium As Prices Double
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) Demand for lithium—the hottest commodity on the planet and the only commodity to show positive price movement in 2015—is poised to continue on its upward trajectory, becoming the world’s new gasoline and earning the moniker of
April 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Fuel Option that Reduces Emissions Already Exists
by Mark Dorenkamp (Brownfield Ag News) ... A proposal introduced last week by Representative Pat Garofalo would provide rebates of up to $2,500 dollars for those who buy or lease a new electric or plug-in hybrid car. Minnesota Biofuels Association executive director
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Tesla’s Model 3 Could Destroy Elon Musk’s Company
by Edward Niedermeyer (The Daily Beast) It won’t hit the road for two years, it won’t be as cheap as promised, and it will be plagued with problems. Worst of all, the firm may run out of money before the
April 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Electric Car Bill Will Do Little to Reduce Emissions
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Today’s Star Tribune reported of a proposal in the Minnesota legislature that calls for a financial incentive to boost electric or plug-in hybrid sales in the state to reduce emissions. According to the report, consumers would receive rebates
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Lab Creates New Biofuels to Expand Alternative Energy Sources
by Allison Ong (Daily Bruin) ... UCLA researchers have been using bacteria, microscopic organisms responsible for disease and digestion, to convert living matter into liquid fuel. (Paul) Lin, a chemical engineering graduate student, is one of many students who work to
March 29, 2016 Read Full Article
2016 National Renewable Energy Policy Forum: What's Next? Driving Growth in a New Policy Landscape Explores a World of Clean Power Plans and Favorable Tax Incentives; Exposes Potential Cracks
by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) For a meeting about renewable energy held on St. Patrick's Day, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation, Janet McCabe, began her address with appropriate words from an old Irish
March 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Commentary: Implementing The Electric RFS
by Jim Lemon and Michael Lemon (BioCycle/Biogas Researchers, Inc.) Michael Lemon describes steps to move EPA forward on the RFS renewable electricity pathway on Tuesday, April 5 at BioCycle WEST COAST16. ... Steps to expand deployment of clean energy technologies like renewable
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels Are Back on the EU Agenda
by Sonja van Renssen (Energy Post) Biofuels are returning to the political agenda in Europe as EU policymakers start to shape a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport after 2020. Biofuels producers continue to argue that they are
March 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Is The Electric Vehicle A Crude Oil Killer?
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... Petroleum is in an entirely different category. It is used primarily for transportation, and it has held more than 90% of the transportation market for over 60 years. ... Biofuels made a push in the 2nd half of
February 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Yogi Berra on Bioenergy
by Douglas Faulkner (Biofuels Digest/Leatherstocking) ... In reflecting recently about the state of bioenergy and trends in the transportation industry, I was reminded of one of my favorite sayings of his (Yogi Berra's): “The future ain’t what it used to be”. Yogi
February 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Octane Benefits Highlighted at National Ethanol Conference
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Held Feb. 15 to 17 in New Orleans, the NEC painted a strong future for the ethanol industry in the speakers addressing the conference theme, “Fueling a High Octane Future.” Following the state
February 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Gasoline Keeps Getting Dirtier while Alternatives Keep Getting Cleaner
by David Roberts (VOX) The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a new report that takes a high-level look at three key transportation fuels: gasoline, biofuels, and electricity. It compares their greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account their full life cycle,
February 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Why Flint? Why Dieselgate? Why Was the EPA Prevented From Acting?
by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Of all the grandstanding by politicians over the Flint, Michigan, drinking water disaster perhaps the most hypocritical has been that of Democrats such as Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton heaping all the blame on
February 09, 2016 Read Full Article
Next Step for Volt, Green Car of the Year, Should Be E85 Capability
by Landon Hall (Fuel Freedom Foundation) Don’t let all the accolades go to your head, Chevy Volt. You’re still not a truly green car, despite what it says on your new piece of hardware. ... But the label of “green car” should
January 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Why Isn't The 2016 Chevy Volt A Flex-Fuel Plug-In Hybrid That Can Use E85 Ethanol?
by John Voelcker (Green Car Reports) ... Michelle Malcho from Chevy's communications group responded: The engine was chosen to be the most efficient overall for the entire system. Plus, the goal was to get to regular unleaded gasoline as it was a top
January 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces $58 Million to Advance Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Technologies
(U.S. Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced more than $58 million in funding for vehicle technology advancements and released a report highlighting the successes of DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program while touring the
January 23, 2016 Read Full Article
The Government Has Spent a Lot on Electric Cars, but Was It Worth It?
by Charles Lane (Washington Post) In August 2010, I proposed this wager to a fellow journalist: President Obama’s declared goal was to get 1 million plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars on the road in the United States by 2015. I
January 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Centre Offers Biofuel to Delhi to Check Pollution
(Business Standard) The Centre is willing to offer one million litres of bio-diesel a day to the Delhi government to combat the rising menace of pollution, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. Besides, the Centre will
December 28, 2015 Read Full Article
West Coast Mayors Form EV Consortium, Pledge Carbon Reductions
by Bengt Halvorson (Clean Car Reports) ... (M)ayors of four large West Coast cities—Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland—met in Portland for a two-day summit and united to reduce carbon emissions on a regional level. The signed declaration, by the
December 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Arnold Schwarzenegger Doesn’t Give a Damn if You Don’t Believe in Climate Change
by ZOË Schlanger (Newsweek) ... (Arnold) Schwarzenegger, a longtime champion of clean energy, hinged his argument on the health detriments of pollution created from burning fossil fuels. “First—do you believe it is acceptable that 7 million people die every year from pollution? That's
December 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Electric Cars Can’t Take the Cold
by Jeff Plungis (Bloomberg) Batteries generate power less efficiently as temperatures drop. --- ... The trouble is, except for Oregon, none of the states have California’s temperate weather. The batteries used by the greener cars generate electricity from chemical reactions that work
December 07, 2015 Read Full Article
Ten States Impose EV Flat Fees; Georgia Is Highest
by Danny King (AutoBlog) Washington, Colorado, Virginia And Oregon Also On Growing List -- These fees were put into place in order to offset the revenue shortfall from more fuel efficient vehicles, electrified powertrains, and the resulting lower gas
December 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Here’s How the U.S. Can Dump Fossil Fuels for Good
by Joe Uehlein and May Boeve (Grist.org) The world must go fossil-free — and fast. But the proposals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that the U.S. and other countries are proposing for the upcoming climate summit in Paris will still allow
November 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Electric Cars and the Coal that Runs Them
by Michael Birnbaum (The Washington Post) Cheap electricity, a changing climate This is part of a series exploring how the world’s hunger for cheap electricity is complicating efforts to combat climate change. --- ... But behind the green growth is
November 24, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Security and Reducing GHGs in Transportation: The Vital Role of Biofuels
by Dr. Bruce E. Dale (Michigan State University/25 x '25) U. S. renewable fuel policy has two primary objectives: 1) to reduce petroleum imports and thereby increase energy security and 2) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) generation in the transportation
November 20, 2015 Read Full Article
How Michigan’s New Road Funding Plan Affects Alt-Fuel Vehicles
by Tony Antonelli (Next Gen Transportation News) ... Notably, three of the bills – H.B.4736, H.B.4738 and H.B.4614 (now P.A.174, P.A.176 and P.A.178, respectively) – directly impact the clean fuels industry. P.A.174: Sponsored by State Rep. Michael McCready, this legislation increases registration
November 19, 2015 Read Full Article
New Research Shows Electric Cars 50 Percent Cleaner Compared to Gasoline Over Their Lifetime
(Union of Concerned Scientists) Do battery electric vehicles really reduce global warming emissions compared to gasoline cars? The answer is a clear yes, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Over their entire lifetimes—from manufacturing to driving
November 17, 2015 Read Full Article
No Rich White Guy Left Behind: The Selling of Electric Cars as Zero Emission Vehicles
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Electric cars and their $1600 cost per ton for CO2 reduction. And, yep, you’re paying for it. Electric cars have environmental benefits, no doubt about it, and anyone who drives one is making a contribution to
October 26, 2015 Read Full Article
Big Electric Shocks Big Oil: California’s New Emissions Law Enlists Utilities to Help Wean Drivers off Gasoline.
by Mark Hertsgaard (Bloomberg Businessweek) When California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 350 on Oct. 7, it looked like a huge win for the oil industry. The original version of the bill included a mandate to cut the state’s petroleum
October 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Zero Emission Vehicles: Not Really
by Don Siefkes, Debbie Baron and Eileen Broderick (E100 Ethanol Group, Mendo Alcohol Fuel Group) ... California Governor Jerry Brown and other Governors, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and much of the major media are continuing their unnerving habit
September 21, 2015 Read Full Article
Survey: Americans Don't Want to Pay for Neighbor's EV
(American Energy Alliance) Today, the American Energy Alliance released a new survey examining voters’ attitudes toward transportation policy, specifically government support for electric vehicles. The results show that Americans are deeply skeptical of government making decisions for them with respect
September 15, 2015 Read Full Article
EVs Could Cut Global Gasoline Use By 2040
by Mike Barnard (Clean Technica) ... The good news is that electric vehicles will reduce gasoline consumption even if no other levers are used related to personal transportation. The bad news is that it will be 15 to 20 years before gasoline consumption
September 08, 2015 Read Full Article
As California Sizzles: The Digest’s 2015 8-Slide Guide to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Propel operates 43 Flex Fuel and 31 Biodiesel retail locations statewide, representing over 50,000 clean fuel transactions per month and 10,000,000 gallons of fuel sold to individual consumers annually. Between 2012 and 2014, Propel Fuels conducted
September 01, 2015 Read Full Article
Tensions over U.S. Electric Vehicle Mandates Spill into the Open
by Joseph White (PlanetArk) A long-simmering dispute between automakers and U.S. regulators over policies to promote electric vehicles spilled into the open on Tuesday, in the high stakes struggle over the future of automotive technology. The heads of two major lobby groups
August 05, 2015 Read Full Article
The Future of Low-Carbon Road Transport: What Role for Second-Generation Biofuels?
by Joern Huenteler and Henry Lee (Belfer Center Programs or Projects) The promise, prospects, and public policy trade-offs related to second-generation biofuels in road transport were addressed in an executive session convened at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan,
July 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Increasing U.S. Energy Security and Reducing Greenhouse Gases in the Transportation Sector: Electricity vs. Biofuels
(OurEnergyPolicy.org) The question is: How can U.S. policymakers best support energy security and GHG emission reduction, considering the need for both biofuels and low-carbon electric vehicles? What fraction of transport energy can be supplied by each source, and what policy options
July 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses: Cleaner, Fuel-Saving Alternative for Public Transportation
by Milsa Vijayadharan* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Hybrid Electric-Biodiesel Buses used in California, Washington and Michigan Model Lower GHG Emissions Options for Cities Everywhere Public transportation plays an important role in green and sustainable practices. Public transportation use means fewer cars on the road and a cleaner environment.
July 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Study: Even with High LDV Electrification, Low-Carbon Biofuels Will Be Necessary to Meet 80% GHG Reduction Target; “Daunting” Policy Implications
(Green Car Congress) A study by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Michigan State University colleague has concluded that even with a relatively high rate of electrification of the US light-duty fleet (40% of vehicle miles traveled and
July 03, 2015 Read Full Article
INSIGHT-California's Push for Cleaner Buses Could Edge out Natural Gas
by Nichola Groom (Reuters) Fifteen years ago, California led the way to cleaner transit buses with strict tailpipe emissions standards that effectively ushered out diesel as the primary fuel for buses in the state and replaced it with natural gas. Now,
July 02, 2015 Read Full Article
Hybrid, EV Sales Tumble in 2015
by David Shepardson (Detroit News) Sales of hybrid and electric vehicles fell sharply in the first half of 2015, hurt by low gas prices, fewer incentives and a broader market shift away from cars. This is shaping up to be the
July 01, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Department Announces Funding to Develop Aggregate Purchasing Models
(U.S. Department of Energy) The Energy Department today (June 8, 2015) announced up to $2 million to support aggregate purchasing models for plug-in electric and other alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles, subsystems, components, alternative fuels, and refueling/charging infrastructure. Aggregated
June 22, 2015 Read Full Article
Usage of Non-Petroleum Fuels on the Rise, Yet Vehicle Sales Stall
by Braden Kelner (Power Source) Non-petroleum fuels are being used for transportation in amounts not seen in 60 years, according to federal data. Alternative fuels — ethanol, natural gas and electricity — have more than doubled their share of the transportation sector since the
June 17, 2015 Read Full Article
The Advanced Bioeconomy, a Leadership Conversation: Where Do We Go from Here?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Anna Rath, CEO, NexSteppe; Jim Greenwood, CEO, BIO; and Dario Giordano, CEO, Beta Renewables step onto the stage at the World Bioenergy Leadership Forum in Seville to look at what’s next in feedstock, processing technology,
June 03, 2015 Read Full Article
Low Carbon Transport on the Move: What’s up in Australia?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Electrics, fuel cell vehicles, smart cars, biofuels for road and sky, and greening the grid come under the microscope Down Under. In Sydney this week, a number of US and Australian leaders gathered at the
May 15, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Union Pushes for E-Mobility and Alternative Fuels in Transport
(EurActiv) The European Commission plans further steps to decarbonise the transport sector through a shift to alternative fuels and electro-mobility, according to the latest draft of the Energy Union proposal, ... According to the draft proposal, the Commission will take steps to
February 27, 2015 Read Full Article
Biofuels vs Hybrids vs Plug-ins vs Gasoline: Who’s the Cost Winner?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Have low gas prices changed the equation for drivers looking to reduce pain at the pump? Who’s the best on cost? And, is there surprising news on emissions? ... We looked at a couple of good data
February 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Energy Secretary Moniz Unveils More Than $55 Million to Advance Fuel Efficient Vehicle Technologies
(US Department of Energy) Following the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 20 in which President Obama highlighted the surge in U.S. manufacturing and the strong growth in the auto industry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced more than
January 23, 2015 Read Full Article
Study: All-Electric Cars May Not Be so Green
(Fuel Fix) People who own all-electric cars where coal generates the power may think they are helping the environment. But a new study finds their vehicles actually make the air dirtier, worsening global warming. ... The key is where the source of
December 16, 2014 Read Full Article
Spatially Explicit Life Cycle Assessment of 5 Sun-to-Wheels Pathways Finds Photovoltaic Electricity and BEVs Offer Land-Efficient and Low-Carbon Transportation
(Green Car Congress) A new spatially-explicit life cycle assessment of five different “sun-to-wheels” conversion pathways—ethanol from corn or switchgrass for internal combustion vehicles (ICVs); electricity from corn or switchgrass for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs); and photovoltaic electricity for BEVs—found a strong