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.

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.

Proposals to pass laws on limiting the emission of green house gases are being pushed. Market incentives are also being put in place to encourage moves from all sectors. Some laws have been enacted in seven states of the US and four provinces of Canada in support of these moves.

Tax exemptions are also being lobbied to entice the public to buy hybrid passenger cars, trucks, and duty vehicles. Tax exemptions for the state of Washington will be stretched from 2009 to 2014.

Standards are also being set to drive the improvement of technology towards better energy efficiency.

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.

In keeping with the goal of green cars and to capture free energy, the B0 will sport solar panels that cover the roof as well as a portion of the hood. The Bolloré Group is also in the process of developing photovoltaic cells panels which can be installed in homes or in public places and used to recharge the B0′s battery using solar energy (more on Solar Powered Cars here!).

The Pininfarina B0 is slated to go into production at the Pininfarina plant in Italy in fall of 2009, while the batteries to be used will be produced separately at the Bollore plant located in Quimper, France. According to Pininfarina, they expect the car to be available in Western Europe by the end of 2009 as a 2010 model.

The FlexDI technology of Orbital was selected as blueprint for the new FlexFuel engines that Sygma Motors is currently developing. The technology application will begin with an engine testing and development program which is worth around US$1.1 million.

Included in these engineering programs is the development of a spark-ignited ethanol combustion system. This spark-ignited ethanol combustion system is pegged to be used during the team-up’s public demonstration. The ethanol combustion system is also targeted to replace the existing diesel application systems being used now.

The three companies are also set to collaborate on flex-fuel OEs and other retrofit applications for commercial vehicles with either diesel-pilot ignition for Ethanol and CNG fuels, or spark-ignition FlexDI.

Orbital’s new FlexDI system gives car manufacturers the potential to develop a wider range of engines which run on ethanol, gasoline, hydrogen, Natural Gas / CNG, and SI-heavy-fueled variants. It is also possible for Orbital’s FlexDI engine to be configured for Tri-Fuel and Bi-fuel operations in the future.

FlexDI’s technology, according to its manufacturers, is driven towards the promotion of alternative fuels which give lower levels of CO2 emission. The company’s technology is strongly pro-environment, focusing on clean energy production to beat the greenhouse effect. These new breed of FlexDI engines are also projected to be cost efficient.

In the recent year, Audi was open to the ‘green campaign’ even on automobiles. This is in line with the unified efforts of different industries to be more conscious of the environment’s state. True enough, Audi is with this campaign.

Why the next six years?

No matter what, companies still have to consider money more than anything else. This is probably the reason why they’re not rushing things. Besides, they have to undergo a long process since it entails applying new technologies for an eco-friendly output.

And even if the market is open to such units now, we still can’t say that they’re willing to shell out financially. People can always rave about something without patronizing it. So six years could be enough time to prepare the market for a greener pasture.

An additional twist to this update is the plan of the manufacturer to revive the A2 small car. Not only that, they’re also planning to launch an environment-friendly Roadjet wagon. The concept has been shown already last year 2006 at the Detroit Auto Show.

All these units are expected to have small engines for both gasoline and diesel. It will also have drivetrains that are hybrid and electric. Keeping the weight lighter is the use of aluminum in the units.

Toyota Motors have unveiled the successful alternative fuel car models, which are empowered by hydrogen gas and the vehicle can travel more than 500 miles with a single tank of hydrogen. The hydrogen based cars face the only problem of not finding the filling station for the public. The hydrogen based cars raise the demand for enhancement for the supportive infrastructure in the market.

Whilst the market waits for improvement in the infrastructure for hydrogen cards, the automobile manufacturers continue to explore the other possible alternative car fuels. The concept of gas-electric hybrids attracts the manufacturers in designing the car models, which can be recharged using electric cells.

The hybrid vehicles will use multiple propulsion systems to provide the motive power for the vehicle. The gas-electric hybrid vehicles are designed to use both gasoline and electric power for the energy required to power the electric motors and the car engines. The power plants in the vehicles are relatively small and provide a normal driving experience even for operations that need high power in the vehicle. This is a great concept seeing that many individuals may not purchase one of these vehicles if they were to ride rougher than a straight 100 percent gasoline vehicle.

Toyota Prius is the world’s first mass produced hybrid based automobile model. The automobile industry witnesses the revolution of charging the car cells with electric power same as a toaster and empowers the engine to speed up the vehicle from zero to sixty miles within seconds.

There are several advantages for this method of using hydrogen. One is that it is pollution free. When a petroleum derivative like petrol or diesel oil is used the vehicle emits dangerous gases like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Both these gases are injurious to the health of the human race itself. In the long run the atmosphere will be filled with unmanageable quantity of carbon dioxide. The carbon monoxide is soon converted into carbon dioxide drawing additional oxygen from the atmosphere. If inhaled directly, carbon monoxide can be lethal.

Another advantage is that when the technology is fully developed dependence on fossil fuel can be eliminated. The reserves of petroleum all over the world are fast depleting, and we’re in urgent need of alternative car fuels. Sometime earlier it was believed that the reserves will be exhausted in the next forty years. But now it is said that petroleum production will peak in the next ten to twenty years. It will not take much time to finish off after that.

Even though some manufacturers of cars and two wheelers in the US and Japan have started using this technology, much more research is required to bring such vehicles into common use.

In past years, the bottles of liquor were simply poured down the drains. In recent years, however, since it is considered detrimental to pour the liquids into the sewage system and water supplies, other uses were found. One of those uses was in the preparation of environmentally friendly fertilizer.

Further, a newer purpose for the bottles and liquid has evolved. The liquor mixed with water can be converted into biofuel. SvenskBiogas which produces, distributes and sells biogas in Sweden also uses animal remains from slaughterhouses and human waste to create a synthetic gas with only five percent emissions.

In a country that is considered to be the near the top of the list for most environmentally conscious countries in the world, Sweden provides many benefits to drivers who embrace green technology or alternative car fuel powered vehicles. For example, some road tolls are waived for those driving cars run on biogases, parking in many places is free, and tax concessions are given.

It truly is amazing that so many everyday products can be used as sources to convert to alternative fuels!