Green Daily

Did you catch the Volt's debut on Letterman? Why does Laurie David hate the wetlands so much? Why is recycled urine the toast of the town in International Space Station City? Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Lutz Brings the Volt on Letterman The Volt may not go 200 miles on a single charge like the Tesla, but it also doesn't cost $100K. GM chieftan Bob Lutz told Letterman that the car will cost $32,500 after rebates and, of course, Letterman pulled the old electrocution gag (see video).

Laurie David Got Busted, Again For the second time, conservationist and climate crusader Laurie David finds herself in the crosshairs of the Chilmark Conservation Commission for building on a piece of her property that has been declared protected wetlands. Oops!

Wind Farm is the Chupacabra of Taiwan? Are wind farms dangerous to your health? People blame wind turbines for ADD, sleep disorders, etc., but goat murder?. A Taiwanese farmer says a nearby wind farm killed 400 goats by disrupting their sleeping and feeding habits, eventually starving them.

HSUS to Team-up with Michael Vick? Michael Vick wants to enlist in the battle against dogfighting and the HSUS seems ready to welcome the rehabilitated former Atlanta Falcon QB. Do you think Michael Vick deserves a second chance? Here's to hoping for the best.

Astronauts Celebrate Recycled Urine Yesterday, astronauts aboard the international space station finally got to test out the now infamous peecycler. Reportedly, the "water" tasted refreshing and delicious. That's one small (and gross) step for sustainability.

Green in a Flash:

• Does the climate bill go far enough?
• US CO2 emissions fell 2.8% last year.
• The House approved $6.4B to make schools more energy efficient.
  

Why did Will Ferrell drink his own pee? Want a bendable, fold-able, kinetically-powered cell phone? Which celeb gave their Beverly Hills Mansion a $15m eco-makeover? Today's Eco-Beat has got the scoop on all of the latest awesome green news and tips.

Will Ferrell Learns About Survival with Bear Grylls Drinking (his own) urine, eating reindeer eyeballs ... it's all in a day's work for comedic superstar Will Ferrell -- who is now officially a lot harder to kill. He recently survived an episode of Man vs. Wild in Northern Sweden, where he got "urine drunk."

Kyocera Developing a Kinetic Folding Cell Phone The more you interact with this soft-ish folding phone, the more kinetic energy it harvests from its piezoelectric generators. Open it up for wide screen interaction, then fold it up like a wallet.

Eva Longoria Parker Designs HEB Shopping Bags Eva's teamed up with grocery chain HEB to design cute little bags for Earth Day. What's that? You already have reusable shopping bags? I don't care. Go buy some more. Do whatever this gorgeous woman tells you! Sorry, I just think she's hot.

Jennifer Aniston's House Gets Greenovated Jen's all about shrinking her eco-footprint. Her Malibu mansion recently got $15M worth of energy-conscious updates including solar panels, reflective roofing, and drought-resistant plants. She also traded in the Range Rover for a Prius.

The Cadillac Volt? Maybe? Rumor has it that GM's luxury brand may release a long-range hybrid based on the Volt in 2011. I'm trying to picture just how ugly the Volt would look in Mary Kay pink... ehhh.

Green in a Flash:

• The Obama administration is making the pitch for high speed rail.
• Study finds that only about, say, 98% of products that make eco-claims are greenwashing.
• Golden arches fall from sky and take out an SUV. Crazy.
  

Wanna live in a greener city, build a sustainable house, or pick your next set of green wheels? You can pretty much give your lifestyle a green makeover with some of today's eco news.

Are You Living in a Green Mecca? Living in a city that's obsessed with the environment sure makes it easier to live green. Where I live, houses on the real estate market are about to get a sustainability rating. Awesome! Did your city make the list?

Segway is Going to Make an Eco-Car, er, Buggy Thing We've all seen the hilarious pictures of George W. Bush wrecking out on a Segway. Since not everyone is as agile as the 43rd President, Segway designed a safer green machine. It's got a seat belt and a roll cage people! Sign me up for a joyride.

Wheel of Fortune Spins Greener Last week was 'green week' on Wheel of Fortune -- my favorite TV game show. Last I checked, Pat Sajak was a climate change denier. Was it all an elaborate April Fools prank? If so, Vanna wasn't in on it.

KB Home Now Offering Green Micro Houses Obsessed with efficiency and space-saving organizers? KB Home is now offering an 881 sq-ft Energy Star qualified floor plan in Houston (of all places). It could save you money, energy, resources ... and it's crazy affordable.

Tesla CEO Talks Trash About the Volt OK, so you've got two wicked green futuristic cars: one gets 100+mpg (but has the ability to run on gas), the other uses no gas at all (but has to plug in). Which one do you want to drive? My answer: I'll take one of each.

Green in a Flash:

• The Secretary of the Interior says that we can replace 3,000 coal plants with offshore wind (if money is no object).
• The Smashing Pumpkins join PETA's campaign against KFC.
• If you've got some serious time on your hands, you could make a sweet coffee table out of your outdated phone books.

Ouch. The news just keeps getting worse for GM. Even though the Volt has enjoyed unprecedented hype for the last 2+ years, and Jay Leno thinks its a superior ride, President Obama's new car task force is not super impressed by the long-range hybrid. They've begun questioning the Volt's commercial prospects as they take a good hard look at GM's sustainability plan. From their report:

"GM is at least one generation behind Toyota on advanced, "green" powertrain development. In an attempt to leapfrog Toyota, GM has devoted significant resources to the Chevy Volt. While the Volt holds promise, it is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable.

One of the biggest concerns is that GM's 'leapfrog' strategy relied on selling the Volt at a loss, not exactly great for sustainability in the near term. While no official price has been set for the Volt just yet, all signs seem to indicate a price tag right at $40K. At that price, the Volt will be competing with the very sporty, very classy-looking Tesla Model S all-electric sedan. What do you think about the Volt's commercial appeal?


[via Treehugger]

When it comes to squeezing the maximum mileage out of your ride, every little thing counts -- just look at the Aerocivic. Spurred on by last year's huge hike in oil prices and the development of a new generation of fuel sipping cars, tire makers are doing their best to fuel the hypermiling frenzy. Last month, Goodyear announced that their low resistance tires would be partly responsibly for boosting the Volt's range. Now, it appears that Michelin and Peugeot are doing a little bragging about their fuel friendly partnership.

According to a recent press release from Peugeot, the Michelin Energy Saver tires already installed on Peugeot and Citroën vehicles are reducing carbon emissions by 15,000 metric tonnes (16,534 tons) a year. The tires are also credited with reducing emissions by 4g/km and saving drivers an average of .2L per 100km, or .053 gallons per 62 miles if you speak American. I know, the numbers sound much better at the macro scale. Still, the idea that tires companies are focusing on efficiency is exciting, especially when you consider that it could one day significantly extend the range of an electric car.

[via AutoblogGreen]

If you're in the market for a new car, you've probably noticed that the number of hybrids parked on dealer lots higher than ever -- even as the market for cars in general has collapsed. Much of the reason for this is the intense tongue-lashing the auto industry has received for focusing on SUVs and not the smaller, fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow. The trouble is, now that a glut of hybrids are being pumped into the market, the demand for hybrids seems to be vanishing like a mirage.

This month, Toyota celebrated the sale of its 1,000,000th hybrid -- and while execs were reveling in their hybrid domination, they were also digesting the news that Prius sales were down 33% since last February. Hybrid sales across the board are down almost 2/3rds since last April. "When gas prices came down, the priority of buying a hybrid fell off quite quickly," says Wes Brown of LA-based Iceology. In some places, car buyers are trending back towards SUVs and trucks. Still, the slate for most automakers, especially the ones who took bailout money (ahem, GM and Chrysler), is loaded to the brim with hybrids and fuel-sippers. Has the demand for hybrids really collapsed, or is it just the ailing economy? Is our fuel consciousness truly only engaged when energy prices rise?

[via AutoblogGreen]

Of course, this is all contingent upon whether or not General Motors survives long enough to meet the confirmed 2011 model release date, but it looks like the biggest of the big 3 might just be the first automaker to sell fuel efficient hybrid minivans to grateful soccer moms across this great nation. I guess you can call it a minivan. Based on the Chevy Cruze platform -- a compact sedan -- the Chevrolet Orlando seats 7 adults, supposedly comfortably.

As rumor would have it, this mini compact van thing might get outfitted with GM's Voltec plug-in hybrid power train. Most of this speculation hinges on one quote from GM's VP of global program management Jon Lauckner, in which he stated: "the Chevrolet Orlando is built on the same basic vehicle architecture and component set as the Chevrolet Volt" and that adapting some of the Volt's plug-in tech is "certainly something we can take a look at." Even without the PHEV upgrade, the Orlando reportedly gets 40 mpg highway.

[via AutoBlogGreen]

Although hybrid sales across the board were down 10% in 2008, the phenomenon can be mostly explained by the the fact that the entire auto industry is in shambles. At GM, despite their pretty unimpressive fleet of hybrid vehicles, their hybrid sales seem to be the only relatively bright spot. For most of 2008, GM was selling an average of only 1,000 hybrid a month. In December, the number jumped to 2,555 somehow. Hummer sales were down 50.9% in 2008. Go figure, right?

There is just one thing. For those of you who are fantasizing about the extinction of the SUVasaurus, there's a nasty plot twist in here for you. Ironically, the top 3 best-selling GM hybrids were all SUVs -- big ones. Actually, they're basically all the same vehicle: the Chevy Tahoe hybrid, GMC Yukon hybrid, and the Escalade hybrid. Three of the most maligned hybrids to hit the road. Still, if your keeping score, it would seem like low gas prices haven't caused consumers to completely revert. Score one for alternative fuel vehicles, I think.

[via AutoBlogGreen]

Ok, no exactly. After getting slammed by congress for flying private jets to D.C. while asking for a handout, the big wigs of the U.S. auto industry were a little more creative with their transportation choices this time around. Rick Wagoner, GM's CEO, will be driving himself to the Sentate hearing in a Volt prototype.

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, this is not the vehicle that he drove from Michigan to the Capital. He rode in a 2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid. If I understand this correctly, he took one car to D.C. and trucked/shipped/flew the elecrtric car along for a publicity stunt. Let's not forget the two other cars in his caravan that carried GM's spokeman, a couple engineers and security guards (this guy's worse than Puff Daddy err ... Sean Combs).

Kudos for Wagoner for driving the 500 miles instead of flying. He saved a few carbon miles that would have otherwise been consumed. Ford and Chrysler execs opted for the same measure. Maybe the next time they arrive with their hands out, they'll consider a carpool -- or a bus.

Performance enhancing microprocessors are nothing new in the world of motor sports, but usually these super chips are designed to give a vehicle monster horsepower or rock-crushing torque. However, as a result of this year's high gas prices, it appears that microchip designers have focused in on something a little less novelty-oriented: fuel economy. According to Freescale Semiconductors, they've designed a microchip that will boost an engine's performance by 10 times and save an average of 30% on operating costs.

Yeah, Chrysler might be struggling to catch up with other automakers in the race to get a piece of the green car market, but there's one segment of zero-emissions vehicle market in which Chrysler reigns uncontested: the neighborhood electric vehicle. I agree, it's not the most prestigious market to dominate, and Chrysler only got there by being smart enough to buy GEM back in 2000 -- but could the Chrysler GEM Peapod really help right the automaker's sinking business model?

Available in 2009, the Peapod will seat four, drive 30 miles between charges, and top out at around 25mph. While they may not have figured out how to run their business profitably, it seems that Chrysler has learned a little something about the power of funky-shaped vehicles in the imagination of consumers. Like the Prius or the Volt concept, when you see the Peapod, you immediately know that it's something green and different.

So, as far as design goes, I think the Peapod's a slam dunk. But, what about the overall concept? Does a gas-free neighborhood vehicle really have mass appeal? I own one already, it's called a bike.

[via Inhabitat]

As the most anticipated electric vehicle set to hit the mass market, the Chevy Volt is starting to take on a celebrity personality of its own -- it definitely has its own paparazzi. First, GM released teaser pics to get us excited about the Volt's design features, then we watched as the paparazzi managed to snap top-secret photos on the set of the new Transformers movie. Now, the EV's public image has ascended another rung in the ladder of celebrity status: leaked photos of the Volt partying with GM execs.

I'm not exactly sure why people are so enamored with Chevy's EV, but the leaked images have taken the internet by storm. Originally intended to go live at GM's centennial celebration next Tuesday, these images give us the best look yet at the Volt's production body style. As you can see, GM seems to have toned down the futuristic look of their first EV -- a move that some including myself are a little disappointed by.

Early body style concepts looked edgier and more agressive; these photos make it look more like a regular mainstream sedan. Does this mean the Volt doesn't have the performance characteristics worthy of a sporty-looking design?

[via AutoBlogGreen]

Flint, Michigan has been the subject of many documentaries that attempt to chronicle the slow and steady decline of the US auto industry. Now, it looks like Flint might be the town that kick-starts the electric car revolution. After the city approved tax breaks that will save the struggling automaker millions, GM announced that Flint will be the home of the new Volt engine plant.

Not only will the people of Flint (Flintites? Flintonians?) be building the Volt's 1.4L turbocharged engines, but the widely anticipated Cruze compact sedan which GM so desperately needed last year. While the new plant will bring 300 new jobs, some still feel that GM owes its birthplace more, way more. If there's a silver lining to the energy crisis of 2008, it's got to be the potential for an American manufacturing renaissance. As all sort of car makers, renewable energy developers strive to get the nation off of foreign oil, we should see a major spike in manufacturing jobs.

[via Earth2Tech]

Just like regular gear-heads, electric car enthusiasts love to get together and show off their tricked-out rides, and after awhile they usually name these gatherings and have t-shirts made. At least, that's how clubs like Fox Valley Electric Auto Association in Illinois originally came about. Over the last couple of years, as electric cars have really started to catch on, these clubs are expanding from a few electric car geeks to people from all sorts of backgrounds.

These days, environmentalists, housewives, grandpas, etc. from all around the Chicago area are flocking to the people with the most know-how: the Fox Valley guys who have been doing it as a hobby since 1975. The same type of thing is going on all over the country.

If you're interested in getting into your own EV, it's probably a good idea to find a local chapter of the Electric Auto Association, who can help you build, improve, and maintain your carbon-conscious ride. That is, until the major car companies start producing EVs in 2010.

They might be sitting on one of the most promising mass-production EVs around, but just like the other major US automakers, GM is falling on some really hard times. In early July, Chevy came up with a plan to roll out a mini-car in order to stop the bleeding. Most insider sources seemed to think that the Beat subcompact would be the natural front-runner. Unfortunately, the Beat isn't up to snuff with US safety standards -- but there's still hope of a 40mpg minicar.

The latest word is that GM will replace the ugly but economical Aveo with an even more economical 40mpg minicar based on either the Trax or the Groove concept. The problem: this vehicle won't hit showrooms until 2011. Not to kick them while they're down, but isn't that an exceptionally slow response to a long approaching predicament? It's hard to imagine that GM doesn't have a better backup plan.

[via AutoBlogGreen]