Obama drives the Volt… all of 10 feet

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Manufacturing/Plants , Chevrolet , GM , Green Daily During his stop today at the General Motors ‘ Detroit-Hamtramck facility where the production Chevrolet Volt s will soon roll off the line, President Obama did something unusual for a president: he got behind the wheel of a car and went for a drive. It was a short one - just ten feet - but that’s what happens when you need not only GM’s permission but also the Secret Service’s to drive a not-yet-in-production, new-technology Chevy Volt in black

Business groups ask President Obama to set up electric vehicle task force

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , USA President Obama has been touting plug-in vehicles for a while now - beginning, in fact, with his campaign pledge to get a million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015 -but words and a bunch of federal spending aren’t enough for some people. Recently, auto industry lobbyists called for more incentives for plug-in vehicles and, today, a number of business organizations are calling on the President to “establish a new National Electric Fuel Task Force to help accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles and the necessary infrastructure.” The groups - including the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers , the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers , the Electric Drive Transportation Association and the Edison Electric Institute - delivered a letter to the White House today. The letter asks for a task force spearheaded by the Department of Energy that “would include federal and state regulators, standards organizations, utilities, environmental groups, consumer groups and electric drive industry stakeholders.” EDTA President Brian Wynne said that the Obama Administration’s support for plug-in vehicles has been good, but now it’s time to step up the pace

It’s Friday: So, did you hear the one about American energy independence?

Filed under: Etc.

Auto industry supports Obama’s newly announced long-term mpg standards

Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants , MPG , Legislation and Policy President Obama recently announced plans to define fuel economy regulations beyond 2016 . He briefly outlined a new plan that would regulate the mileage requirements of cars and light trucks through 2025 and medium- and heavy-duty trucks through 2018.

Obama visits Poet ethanol plant, but that doesn’t mean industry is all happy [w/video]

Filed under: Biodiesel , Ethanol Obama in the Midwest - Click above to watch video after the jump Even though President Obama visited an ethanol production facility run by Poet yesterday and spoke once again about tripling the amount of ethanol the U.S. produces over the next 12 years, the ethanol industry probably wasn’t too pleased with the whole event.

Report: Obama’s heavy limo will not get a hybrid drivetrain

Filed under: Diesel , Hybrid , Green Daily , USA Cadillac Presidential Limousine - Click above for high-res image gallery President Obama’s limo is a basically a diesel-powered tank . When he came into office, the new President asked if he could get one with a hybrid drivetrain for his Presidential Topkick Cadillac to go along with his push for greener vehicles across the board. During a recent stop at a North Carolina manufacturing facility that builds battery components for hybrid cars, Obama was asked about the status of his hybrid limo hopes, and admitted that this isn’t going to happen.

Bright Automotive gets a visit from Obama Administration official

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Legislation and Policy , Bright Automotive Bright IDEA PHEV van - C lick above for high-res gallery The chances that Bright Automotive will get $450 million from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program (ATVMLP) might have gone up a bit thanks to a recent visit from a representative of the Obama Administrative. Teno Villarreal, special assistant for the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, spent time in Anderson, IN, last week and learned more about the the Bright Idea plug-in hybrid van . Representatives from the start-up automaker told Villarreal that up to 6,000 jobs could be created if the Idea goes into production (up from 5,000 claimed earlier ).

Obama mulling more support for plug-in vehicle manufacturers

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , USA The U.S. federal government has put a lot of money into clean car companies this past year, including about $8.5 billion through U.S

STUDY: Cash for Clunkers helped Japanese way more than Detroit 3

Filed under: Legislation and Policy , USA While there is no question that Obama’s Cash-for-Clunkers program accelerated vehicle sales this summer, a new report by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute shows the big winners were from Japan, not Detroit. According to the study, nearly 85 percent of the trade-ins were from General Motors , Ford , and Chrysler , yet they only sold 39 percent of the new cars moved off the lots. On the other hand, eight percent of the trade-ins came from Toyota , Honda , and Nissan , manufacturers who accounted for 41 percent of new car purchases.

Congress restores hydrogen funding with $187 million in appropriations bill

Filed under: Hydrogen , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , USA Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu is not getting his way in Washington. Recently (and, at this point, still allegedly) said that he ” would put every cent into electric cars .” The Senate, though, has other plans and has now restored almost all of the hydrogen funding money that the DOE slashed in May . Back in July, the Senate hinted that it would fight back against the DOE cuts when the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee marked up the FY 2010 DOE budget and then restored hydrogen vehicle funding .

Next Page »

AutoGreen Latest

• Spyshots: Is Phoenix Motorcars still working on a plug-in hybrid?
• Frost & Sullivan: EV production could be hindered by shortage of battery parts
• Coulomb unveils Michigan’s first ChargePoint America charging station
• General Motors Australia reveals new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback
• Report: Lotus bringing a pair of front-engine hybrids to Paris Motor Show
• Tesla Roadster eligible for $38,000 clean energy rebate in Japan
• Coda will sell electric sedan in Hawaii in late 2011
• 2012 Ford Focus Electric to use liquid-cooled lithium-polymer battery
• Hybrid sales drop off for August; even Prius records a 37.5% decline
• Automotive X-Prize: no money until cars pass dynamometer validation tests
• Motive doesn’t Bogart cannabis car info, passes us more details
• Donnie Bowles scores first win in propane-powered Roush Mustang
• Mazda’s "uniquely engineered" Sky engines will offer best-in-class fuel efficiency
• GM says Chevy Cruze Eco with an automatic will hit 36 mpg highway
• Rumormill: GM to follow Hyundai with four-cylinder-only mid-size cars
• Electric motorycle entrepeneur killed in car accident