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Bloggers all over the net have announced that the 2011 CT 200h will only be exclusive to the European market but the day after articles have been posted, Lexus threw a press release out saying that the 2011 CT 200h will hit the American shore when it is unveiled at the upcoming auto show in New York.

Although U.S. consumers are not known to choose hatchbacks over sedans, Lexus is counting on fuel efficiency of their hybrid and its sporty handling to win over consumers to the side of the Lexus CT 200h. The 200h will only have the 2010 Mini Cooper and the A3 from Audi as its competitions.

The 2011 CT 200h will use a new platform that has a MacPherson struts in front and a trailing arm and double wishbone on the rear. This is just one aspect to fulfill their commitment to provide a sporty ride experience combined with superior handling for the CT 200h.

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Ford Europe is stepping on the pedal to push for the development of their e-mobility solutions by participating in the cologne-mobil Project that was jump started in Germany.

The project will first focus on providing commercial vehicles running on pure electricity. Ford’s participation in the project will allow a small fleet of Ford Transits to be converted by Smith Electric to run on electric engines.

The converted trucks will do a test phase in Germany. Seven of the Ford Transits will be running routes for delivery services. Two units will be serving as a shuttle service. Another Transit will be use by Cologne as a public transport service.

Ford will do the technical maintenance of the vehicles which will primarily run on the city streets. During the period of the project, the proponents will be taking down notes to see how customers find their experience of running a commercial EV.

A local energy company will also participate in the project to look into the charging infrastructure which will be very vital in the future. They will dig deep to find the requirements so they can provide technical solutions to the possible problems and demands of customers.

The City of Cologne has been studying the possibility of injecting e-mobility solutions and see its effects on the quality of air, noise level, and safety in the city streets.

The University of Duisburg-Essen provides the manpower to help with the scientific needs and knowledge base for the project.

Here’s the press release from Ford & Smith Electric:

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Mercedes Benz confidently claims that the future of their hybrid technology is represented by the Vision S500 PHEV recently displayed at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

The S500 PHEV is another step towards the goal of Mercedes Benz to achieve their goal of mobility with zero emissions. The car relies on a V6 gas engine that works in combination with a 44kW electric motor which can output 60 horsepower. The system depends on lithium ion batteries that can store as much as 10kWh of energy.

The hybrid set up works well with the overall configuration of the vehicle. The Vision S500 can go from 0 to 100 km/h in a matter of 5.5 seconds. Despite the power and the speed, the S500 can still give you an excellent fuel mileage of 73.5 mpg. The 74 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer add to the other great numbers the car gives consumers.

The Vision S500 PHEV may take a while before we see it rolling out of the Mercedes Benz dealerships. The car manufacturer though promises the public that their engineers are crunching the numbers to make the car fit for long distance and everyday driving. The features are very ideal and the top executives of Benz see the car joining the S- Class releases of the near future.

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Car manufacturers are worried of how they can meet the 35.5 mpg fuel mileage set as the new CAFE standards that will take in effect by 2016 in the United States.

The Obama government has cleared a path to take so the goals will be achieved to meet the deadline. The plan will require carmakers to improve the fuel economy of their fleet by as much as 5% every year, just like what is being done in several states and in California. The stricter government requirements on fuel mileage standardize the rule from the east coast to the west coast.

The target for the 2012 to 2015 models was not yet clear for the auto makers until the suggested framework came out. The 5% increase with the 2011 models translates to 27.3 mpg on average according to the EPA and the Transportation Department.

The levels of improvement for the production cars of 2012 to 2016 will be leveled up from 33.6mpg to approximately 38 mpg. Light trucks are expected to have fuel mileage figures jump to 28.33 from 25.0 mpg.

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Researchers from the Michigan State University said that their recent study on the land use change for biofuel reduction suggest that previous analyses may have been based on incorrect bases and assumptions.

In the online January issue of the Environmental Science & Technology journal, Professor Bruce Dale and his co-authors at the Michigan State University have said that most of the recent studies on greenhouse gas emission have not considered possible important factors that could affect the previous analyses.

Based on their new study, the estimation of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions connected with land use change could be best measured through cropping management. The study says that if there are consistent no-till and no-till plus cover crop practices, the required payback period for the land would substantially be reduced to three shorter years.

The recent development on the topic has caused experts to go on a debate. The issue is deemed to be crucial as it plays a big impact on the biofuel industry in the country.

The MSU professors noted that the recent studies have caused the country to set higher greenhouse gas standards compared to those that are in the local industry. Dale, supported by his co-authors, also said that the calculated time, by which biofuels would give environmental benefits, has many discrepancies. The MSU professors insist that the proposed timeframe of the earlier studies might not work right as the models used for the studies were not based on all the potential factors crucial for the formulation of the said time estimation.

It may be a half step delayed from BMW’s campaign for efficient dynamics but it is better late than never. Audi has announced the development and implementation of new technologies to help make their vehicles more fuel efficient.

Audi will introduce several technologies by mid of 2009. This will include a stop and start feature and energy recovery through the brake system.

The stop start system will just be like what others have developed. The system of the car will be off when the vehicle stops and the clutch is released. The engine will be turned on again once the driver engages the clutch. This technology is not yet available for the automatic transmission coupled engine.

The stop start system aims to reduce the carbon dioxide emission by 5g/km and about 0.2L of fuel for every kilometer. Audi will first use this technology on the A3 TFSI 1.4, 2.0L A4, and the A5.

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United States President Barack Obama pushes for tighter measures on vehicle emission and fuel economy standards set to take effect in 2016.

The proposal urges automakers to have a fleet average of 35.5 mpg when the proposal is set into law, a standard which is 10 mpg higher that today’s rules. Obama also proposed a cut on carbon emissions from vehicles which play a major factor in worsening global warming.

Car manufacturers hear the gunfire at the starting point of a race to make lighter vehicles and efficient car engines like diesels and hybrids to meet the new guidelines. Experts point out though that the new call for better standards will have a $600 top up in the cost of production of every vehicle.

Looking from another vantage point, the US will be able to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil by 2017. The assumption is based on the average daily consumption of the US market of as much as 20.7 million barrels per day. The savings is equal to about 87 days of US oil usage.

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A Green Jobs and Climate Action laws package was introduced by the governor and leaders of Washington to push for $455 million of investments that will build the foundation for new energy technologies, green buildings, and energy efficient transportation projects.

Allocations for the $455 million are as follows:

1. $419 million will be devoted to fund transportation projects that will include express lane automation, biodiesel ferries, vanpool vehicles, HOV lanes, safety infrastructure programs for bikes and pedestrians, and commute reduction initiatives.
2. The activities of the Community Economic Revitalization Board will be supported with $20 million of funding.
3. $10 million will aid the development of projects focusing on renewable energy technology for housing projects and public facilities.
4. Biofuel processing facilities and other biomass energy initiatives will be perked up by $6 million.

Legislations will serve as the foundation of these initiatives and investments to control damage to the environment and explore other options for energy production.

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VW and Toshiba are considering teaming up and creating a smart car killer Electric Vehicle. Story from VW Talk.

The VW group is known to be interested with alternative fuel technology in the recent years. They have been pouring their efforts on the BlueMotion Technologies but have yet to explore the EV market. The Toshiba partnership will be a perfect opportunity.

The market trend in the automotive industry is moving toward electric cars, and Italian auto design house Pininfarina is among the companies who will be coming out with their line of electric models.

The B0 or B Zero is Pininfarina’s five-door hatchback compact EV which was designed to be a solution to have a cleaner world. The B0 was unveiled at the Paris Mondial de l’Automobile 2008 in honor of Pininfarina’s late chairman and chief executive Andrea Pininfarina.

The production of B0 will be a collaborative project between Pininfarina and the Bollore Group, with the latter company in charge of producing the supercapacitators and the LMP or lithium-metal polymer battery pack to be used in the B0. For those who don’t know, the LMP battery pack is placed beneath the car floor and works to ensure that the weight distribution is balanced. Among the advantages of using the LMP battery pack is that it’s rechargeable in just a few hours, has high energy density, has a service life of 125,000 miles, and is maintenance free.

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