The American automobile industry is very large and very complex. In a recent conference held in Las Vegas, David Kiley of BusinessWeek and Peter De Lorenzo of Autoextremist.com tried to make sense of it. They talked about cars that run on green beans, vapor and tinsel marketing, and dying roses.
In a speech at Fresno State University in California, Republican presidential candidate John McCain outlined a series of new proposals for dealing with the energy and environmental crises that figure to play a bigger role in this year's elections than ever before.
These days, no major auto company can afford to ignore a technology that wrings more miles from a gallon of gas. Japanese automakers currently own more than 90 percent of the growing hybrid market, and they seem determined not to be left out of the diesel market either. Nissan plans to first offer a diesel engine to the American market in 2010, and Toyota, Subaru and Mitsubishi have all made noises about doing the same.
Minnesota lawmakers are on track to increase the state's current mandate that 2 percent of diesel fuel be composed of biodiesel. By May of next year, that requirement will be increased to a 5 percent blend, known as B5; then up to B10 in 2012 and finally to B20 in 2015. If all goes as planned, Minnesota could once again be in position to raise the bar nationally on biodiesel.
Importing a vehicle to the U.S. is a big deal, because this country has some of the toughest emissions and safety regulations in the world. So, when a company from China or India is said to be ready to design a hybrid or otherwise high-tech vehicle and bring it to America, industry analysts take a skeptical view. Mahindra, the Indian carmaker, might silence the skeptics with its plans for diesel-hybrid vehicles.
Expensive gasoline is not bad news for every segment of the economy. Oil companies are making out like bandits. Hybrid car sales are way up. And so are sales of gas cap locks, designed to prevent thieves from siphoning precious fuel from your tank.
Some auto industry analysts believe diesel vehicles will become more popular than hybrids in the next decade—but high diesel fuel prices could radically change those forecasts. This week, the average price of a gallon of ultra-low sulfur diesel is a dizzying $4.50 a gallon, compared with gasoline at $3.84.
Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, unveiled the company’s five-year business plan on Tuesday. The plan puts a major emphasis on electric vehicles. Hybrid and EV fans responded with enthusiasm—but also engaged their well-worn vaporware alert systems to detect false promises, improbable plans, and insincerity.
FAME versus NERD is not the latest summer blockbuster for teens. FAME and NERD are the acronyms defining the two main forms of biodiesel—a non-petroleum renewable fuel that can theoretically run in any diesel vehicle without modification. Understanding the differences between FAME and NERD could help determine the future of biodiesel.
At one point, the biodiesel fuel branded with Willie Nelson's name and face looked like it was going to launch the biofuel into the mainstream. Now, the company behind BioWillie is trying to pull itself from the brink of bankruptcy.
