Envautomental

California High Speed Rail’s Route Debate Is Over

Green Cars — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:00:00 +0000

finally chose the route that will connect the San Francisco Bay Area to the Central Valley. Once in the Central Valley, trains will head directly to Los Angeles. The Pacheco Pass, which will run trains from San Francisco to the yet to be constructed Central Valley main line via San Jose and Gilroy, was endorsed by several local and state officials. They see this route alternative as the best economic, environmental, and efficient route from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. This route, however, will not serve California as well as the other alternative because of its alignment.

On Wednesday, the Pacheco Pass alternative was selected for various reasons. Unlike the Altamont alternative, there is no need to build a bridge across the San Francisco Bay near Dumbarton (although the rail bridge is already built but needs a large amount of improvements for high speed rail), something that could potentially cause conflicts with environmentalists. The chosen alternative also travels through undeveloped land, meaning less opposition towards building elevated trackways.¹ Proponents of the Pacheco Pass also claim that the capacity would be limited with the Altamont Pass, since the tracks branch off towards either San Francisco or San Jose.² They, however, seem to be mistaken, since trains can de-couple and continue to different destinations, as seen with rail systems worldwide. The Pacheco Pass travels through areas that already have a train route: Caltrain. Caltrain connects Gilroy with San Francisco with express and local service (trains can travel from San Jose to San Francisco in less than an hour, faster than the car at rush hour). Doubling up high speed rail with an express commuter train seems redundant, when there are other areas that have no rail service at all.

Contrarily, the Altamont Pass, which would travel via a rail bridge to the East Bay and then connect to the Central Valley main line, would provide rail service to areas that do not have rail service to San Francisco. It would also relieve congestion off some of the Bay Area”s heavily trafficked rail lines. Currently, the rail crossing to San Francisco via the Transbay Tube farther north is almost at capacity.³ Building a new rail bridge near Dumbarton from the peninsula towards Union City and the southern East Bay, would relieve traffic off the BART subway Transbay Tubes. The Altamont Pass would additionally provide a more direct way from the Bay Area to Sacramento (and to several other northern Central Valley cities) and yield a significant time savings to the capital over the current local Amtrak service. People also should keep in mind that the South Bay (San Jose) would still have high speed rail service with this alternative and that the estimated travel time on the Altamont Pass is only 10 minutes more than with the Pacheco Pass.⁴ The Altamont Pass, though, would be much more expensive when connecting San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose to the main line, with the construction and when acquiring right of ways.⁵ This route, however, would provide developed areas train service and attract a robust ridership.

Despite the debates about which alternatives to take, transit advocates are glad that the high speed rail has taken a major step towards being on the 2008 ballot. California will have to go with what is offered and make the best out of it. Traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 hours and 30 minutes (with either alternative) is stellar and will provide a major boost in the state”s economy.

Works cited:
¹ Cabanatuan, Michael, “Pacheco Pass chosen over Altamont for proposed high-speed rail line,” San Francisco Chronicle, 20 December 2007.
² Ibid.
³ Cabanatuan, Michael, “BART”s New Vision: More, Bigger, Faster,” San Francisco Chronicle, 22 June 2007.
⁴ California High Speed Rail Authority, “Optimal Express Travel Times (.pdf),” 13 November 2007.
⁵ California High Speed Rail Authority, “Draft Costs Board Presentation (.pdf),” 9 March 2007.

Photo: TGV high speed train waits at the Paris Montparnasse station. TGV trains travel up to 186 mph, or 300 km/h.

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Boeing to Test Aviation Biofuels

Green Cars — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:42:50 +0000

The Boeing Co., one of the world”s leading manufacturers of commercial airliners, will begin testing jet fuel derived from algae and other biomass and says biofuels could become a feasible alternative within five years.

Faced with says biofuel may be the answer.

Bill Glover, the company”s director of environmental strategy, tells Boeing”s laboratory tests confirmed the practicality of producing jet fuel from a wider variety of feedstocks than previously believed and it thinks aviation biofuel can be mass-produced affordably.

The company plans to test the fuel during demonstration flights of and Air New Zealand.

Expedito Parente, called by some that biomass-derived jet fuel could become viable within two years. Commercial aircraft have a service life of 30 to 40 years, he says, and the need to ensure there will be affordable fuel to keep them going is spurring tremendous interest in biofuel.

The airline industry isn”t alone in exploring aviation biofuel. The Pentagon has enlisted help from are among the petrochemicals also looking for ways to produce biofuel from algae.

First Boeing must prove the stuff works. It plans two demonstration test flight next year, one each by Virgin and Air New Zealand, and will soon select a specific feedstock to provide the fuel.

The airline industry is and Virgin Atlantic say commercial airliners account for 2 percent of global carbon emissions, but that figure is expected to climb alongside the rising volume of air travel.

With that in mind, airlines are looking for ways to reduce fuel consumption. Virgin is experimenting with towing airplanes to runways, rather than having them taxi under their own power. Doing so, the technology, if adopted on all its flights, would reduce fuel consumption by 492 tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 1,550 tons annually.

AeroTech Services says it can can trim fuel consumption by as much as 1.5 percent.

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Tata Motors to Buy Jaguar, Land Rover

Green Cars — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:58:16 +0000

will buy the two English storied brands for roughly $2 billion. The financing has reportedly gone smooth. The marriage is far less certain.

In fact, it raises questions about national identity and even race. Jaguar dealers in the U.S. and the U.K. have uttered concerns about selling a luxury brand owned by an Indian company, especially one that announced only weeks ago its intention to build $2,500 car. There are issues of image here, you see. No doubt, managing these brands will present a challenge. After all, Ford did an abysmal job of it. This is at least one reason that both brands will, for the time being, continue to be built in England.

But the fact is that dealers, workers, and enthusiasts of both makes will simply have to get over themselves. Many felt it was an insult to have Ford owning these icons. Given the problems of build quality that have befuddled both Jaguar and Land Rover, new management is welcome. Payback for colonial rule? The fall of Western Civilization? Feh. Land Rover and Jaguar are loved the world around. But both companies need to produce better cars, regardless of who runs the payroll.

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Walmart and Hybrid Technologies

Green Cars — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:00:00 +0000

It is said that in the in future Walmart will be selling electric motor vehicles along with toilet paper and clothes. Walmart is collaborating with Hybrid Technologies in order to make this work. Richard Griffith, the founder and spokesman, for Hybrid Technologies stated that he is not in it for selling electric cars, but rather to show the world “how fun electric vehicles can be”. Griffith also stated that they will be taking the shell of the newer cars replacing the combustion engine with an engine that runs on batteries. For instance, you can buy a Mini Cooper and instead of having a fuel tank you will have a pack of batteries.

Though Griffith has good intentions with the future cars and with the environment, he proposes to sell the electric motors only as a “high-end option.” Personally, I think any high option such as navigation and runner boards costs a hell of a lot more than the standard. I believe the electric vehicles shall be available for everyone. The people that commute the most cannot afford a $65,000 Mini Cooper. Though do not fear, by 2008, Walmart and Hybrid Technologies will be selling electric motor vehicles starting at $35,000. Though it is still a hefty price for a car, it is still better than spending $65,000. Hybrid Technologies will then be selling to the dealers directly too.

Though technology is quickly catching up with immense demand for alternate sources of fuel and transportation. I see in the future that electric cars will become standard and everyone will be able to afford them. However, I wonder if the future will be able to come before our end does.

Jacob Gordon of Treehugger.com

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How Detroit Will Reach 35 mpg

Green Cars — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:37:15 +0000

it can live with. The magic number is 35 mpg, and automakers have 13 years to get there. Now the question is: How?

Meeting that benchmark will require developing new technology, investing billions in new manufacturing and shunning the “bigger is better” mentality that has guided the auto industry for 20 years. It will be an unprecedented challenge and a seismic change for an industry that has never had much interest in either.

“This is the automotive equivalent of the moon shot,” Ron Cogan, the editor and publisher of and GreenCar.com, told us. “They know they have to reach these goals. They know it won”t be easy. They”ll have to marshal all of their resources, and those of their suppliers, to do this.”

A by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found automakers could double fuel economy relatively easily by emphasizing lighter - though not necessarily smaller - cars with more efficient gasoline, diesel and hybrid drivetrains. And that, industry experts told us, is pretty much what the industry will do.

Just eight vehicles among the 2007 models get a of 35 mpg or better, and they”re all subcompacts or small hybrids. Automakers don”t have to make sure each vehicle they sell averages 35 mpg, they have to ensure the average of all their vehicles is 35 mpg.

Industry experts said the first changes will be relatively subtle, relatively cheap and relatively soon. They”ll include improved aerodynamics, six-speed automatic transmissions and replacing engine-driven components like power steering pumps with electric ones. The cumulative effect can be significant. Ford says these tactics boosted the fuel efficiency of the V-6 by 10 percent. Dual-clutch transmissions, more efficient gearing and tires with lower rolling resistance will bring further improvements.

Subcompacts are the of the market, but no one expects automakers, particularly in Detroit, to dump SUVs in favor of micro cars. But automakers will use a lot more aluminum, magnesium and lightweight steel to make vehicles lighter.

The most radical changes will come under the hood. Automakers will embrace direct injection — a more efficient means of getting fuel into the combustion chamber — in a big way and bring more diesel and hybrid drivetrains to market.

“We”re looking at massive changes in engine technology,” Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst with Global Insight, told us. “Two-thirds of the U.S. fleet will have to change to direct injection. One-third of the total market will be diesel, and half of those will be diesel-electric hybrids. Everyone is pursuing a strategy of smaller engines with direct injection and turbochargers.”

American automakers may face the biggest challenge, they may be in the best position to make quick gains, experts said, because of their deep product lines in Europe. Detroit is already making smaller and thriftier cars there. Companies just need to figure out how to adapt them to American regulations and sell them to American consumers.

General Motors is already figuring that out. Earlier this week, GM unveiled the Saturn Astra, a slightly reworked version of the Opel Astra, one of Europe”s best-selling compacts. Its 1.6-liter turbocharged engine delivers 32 mpg.

Many industry pundits said GM is leading the race to build cleaner, more fuel efficient cars and is most prepared to meet the new regulations. The company recently announced a sweeping campaign to improve the fuel efficiency of its entire product line while embracing hybrids and alternative fuels.

We”ll have more in a bit…

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United Airlines Takes the iPod Skyward

Green Cars — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:00:22 +0000

We”ve never been big fans of the entertainment options airlines provide. The movies are either lame or we”ve seen them already, and the audio quality of the tinny earphones flight attendants hand out leaves a lot to be desired. Judging by the number of passengers we saw listening to iPods or watching movies on their laptops during a recent cross-country flight, many air travelers feel the same way.

systems with 15.4-inch widescreen monitors. It also provides on-demand movies, TV programs and XM satellite radio. The system”s iPod connection recharges your iPod; 110-volt outlets and USB ports keep other gadgets charged.

Apple has been to deliver “seamless integration” between iPods and in-flight entertainment systems. United is offering the system only to “premium” passengers - meaning those in business- and first-class seating. But with any luck, United will expand it to include those of us who invariably get stuck in a middle seat at the back of coach.

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E.P.A. Bows to Corporate Interests Under Cover of the Energy Bill

Green Cars — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:27:30 +0000

“The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution, not a confusing patchwork of state rules,” declared E.P.A. administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

Moving forward?

What happened to the cherished Replublican value of states” rights? Why did the timing on this ruling–two years after California petitioned for the waiver–arrive the same day that the energy bill became law, a bill the Bush administration opposed, but knew was unstoppable? Why was this waiver denied when 50 previous waivers–many much stricter than this one–have been approved? Why aren”t members of the president”s own party in open revolt for the way this ruling panders to the automobile industry in an election season that is looking gloomier and gloomier for Republicans?

California”s Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (and fellow Republican) immediately vowed to sue the federal government. No doubt he will be joined by 16 other states that pledged to join California in its clean-air standards. The E.P.A. probably hoped to put an end to this issue with yesterday”s ruling. In all likelihood, it is just the beginning.

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At Last, Chevrolet Unwraps the 2009 Corvette ZR1

Green Cars — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:16:03 +0000

manual transmission. Chevy engineers have installed 285/30-series rubber on nineteen-inch wheels up front, 335/25-series tires and twenty-inch wheels at the rear. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard, with enormous, 15.5-inch rotors stopping the front wheels, 15.0-inch discs in back. GM”s excellent Magnetic Selective Ride Control suspension is standard, with a track-ready setting. Of course, Corvette engineers have incorporated a passel of feather-light carbon fiber composite body panels, including the hood, front fenders and fascia, roof panel and bow, and rocker panels.

More photos after the break, courtesy of

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One Upshot from the Energy Bill–Cheaper Small Cars

Green Cars — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:36:15 +0000

With the ink barely dry on the energy bill, is it too early to prognosticate about how it will affect you and your family?

For starters, greenies shouldn”t pull out the champagne. The political squabbles have only started. The German car makers, who produce relatively dowdy machines, are being hit disproportionately to French and Italian car makers. Worse, it doesn”t look like anyone is going to meet their emissions targets, which will result in billions of euros in fines. When the specifics come into play with the U.S. energy bill, you can expect similar donnybrooks.

In the meantime, loosey-goosey language in the bill allows manufacturers of big trucks and SUVs to game the system. The new mileage standards apply to all vehicles, rather than the company-by-company approach that”s now being applied. Under this rule, makers of small cars (read: Japan, Korea and Europe) may actually have to reach a higher standard than companies that rely on trucks and SUVs.

What”s likely to emerge is big discounts on small, fuel-efficient vehicles, which aren”t very profitable to car makers, anyway. But the cash and emissions cows–the Titans, the Durangos, the Bentleys and so forth–won”t see much improved efficiency.

Sources: Los Angeles Times, AP, Bloomberg, Herald Tribune

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Bush Signs Energy Bill Raising Fuel Economy Standards

Green Cars — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:24:11 +0000

in tailpipe emissions.

The new regulations mean we”re on the cusp of seismic change within an industry that has long resisted regulation and only recently come to accept that it must begin building cleaner, more fuel efficient vehicles.

The energy bill Bush signed this morning sets a 35 mpg fuel economy standard by 2020 and requires the use of biofuels to reach 36 billion - with a “b” - gallons two years after that. The current combined fuel economy rating for all automakers is 26.4 mpg. The new standards are expected to save 1.1 million barrels of oil per day and $22 billion for consumers.

The president called the legislation “a major step toward reducing our dependence on oil, confronting global climate change, expanding the production of renewable fuels and giving future generations of our country a nation that is stronger, cleaner and more secure.”

Although the industry fought the increase, its resistance eased in recent weeks as Congress, the White House, Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers hammered out a compromise to an issue that has simmered for two decades. And so it was that the industry took a chin-up attitude today, perhaps best shown by Rick Waggoner, chairman and CEO of General Motors.

“GM commends the Congress and president for passage of an energy bill,” he said. “The new fuel economy standards within the bill set a tough, national target that GM will strive to meet.”

On the other side of the Atlantic, the European Union formally introduced legislation that would require automakers to limit carbon dioxide emissions to 120 grams per kilometer within four years. That”s a monumental challenge, because the average vehicle in Europe emits 160 grams. Lawmakers said the legislation is required because a decade-old pledge by the industry to voluntarily curb emissions hasn”t worked. The auto industry has vowed to oppose so deep a cut, but it faces long odds.

Taken together, the new regulations will mean higher costs for the industry, and perhaps consumers, and it will require automakers to begin emphasizing efficiency over power. That means it will have to build fewer SUVs and high-powered sports cars in favor of hybrids and compact cars with small engines.

“Cars have become faster and heavier and bigger, and that whole psychology has to change” K.G. Duleep, an industry expert, the Detroit Free Press. “It”s a U-turn for the industry.”

The changes won”t come overnight. The legislation signed today requires the new fuel economy standards to take effect with modest increases in 2011 and mileage increasing significantly as 2020 approaches.

We”ll have more in a bit.

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