Truck diesels clean up greatly in last 5 years

Obviously, this engineering work started some years ago - in an era of 45 minute news cycles, we tend to forget that progress comes incrementally over periods of years, but it does come.

Anyone considering an alternative fueled vehicle should include diesel in their calculations. If your regular gas a station has a diesel pump (many do), then it may be a better alternative than a hybrid. If you have a bio-diesel station near your regular route, then it is almost a no-brainer.

Truck diesels clean up even more than those in cars | Green Blog & Discussion at Automobile Magazine:
"Heavy trucks and buses could lose their image as stinky, soot-spewing monsters as the current fleet is replaced with today’s cleaner models. According to recently released data from the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study, overseen by the Health Effect Institute, shows that the engines (from Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel, Volvo, and Cummins) had an overall average 90 percent reduction in exhaust pollutants from 2004 to 2007. Particulate matter—soot—was cut by 99 percent. Even smog-forming nitrous oxides, typically the most difficult to control of diesel exhaust emissions, were 70 percent lower."

Government Cash-for-Clunkers Website

It looks like this won't be used to get classic cars off the road (trade-ins must be less than 25 years old), but it also looks like it won't be very successful.

Government Launches ‘Cash-for-Clunkers’ Website – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine:
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the website for its ‘cash-for-clunkers’ incentive program yesterday, despite the continued uncertainty regarding how the program will be implemented.
. . .
The website for the program, located at www.cars.gov, has been dubbed the “Car Allowance Rebate System.”
. . .
The site also contains a link to the government’s fuel economy rating site, and a copy of the actual legislation that created the program.
. . .
Analysts have been skeptical about how effective the program will be. Funding for the program was dramatically reduced, from an envisioned $4 billion (enough for about 1 million rebates) to one-fourth of that, and the current delay in finalizing the program’s details means it won’t take advantage of the typical summer buying rush. In addition, many believe the owners of cars that qualify for the program won’t be able to afford to buy new cars – even with the available $4500 rebate."

Made in America costs less!

It is good to hear a story about manufacturing moving TO the US.

Elon Musk Reports Tesla Roadster Now Cheaper to Make – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine:
"Tesla CEO Elon Musk reported yesterday that after moving production of its batteries from Asia to California in late 2007, the cost to build the roadster has been cut almost in half, from $140,000 to $80,000.

Musk says in his blog that the move eliminated the high cost of shipping heavy batteries overseas, while simultaneously improving the quality of the batteries because of the use of a more automated process and the ability for engineers to tweak the batteries quickly for new efficiencies. In addition to eliminated shipping costs, the move also reduced the time it took parts to move through the supply chain, removing the cost of inventory waiting for weeks in transit."

Cash for Clunkers critiqued by John McCain

These programs have been tried before and generally have been regarded as failures and rip-offs.
If it is such a great program, why is it scheduled to last just a four months?
And why is this buried in a war-appropriations bill?!

.: United States Senator John McCain :: Press Office :.:
"Mr. McCain. Mr. President, I wanted to go into a bit more detail about the “Cash for Clunkers” provision the Senate passed yesterday as part of the $105 Billion war supplemental. I continue to believe that the American people would be appalled to learn the specifics of this “Lemon” legislation. Here is a quick summary:

* Any person that trades-in a car he or she has owned and insured for at least one year that has a combined fuel economy value of 18 miles or less per gallon is eligible for:

o $3,500 toward the purchase of a new car if it has a fuel economy value at least 4 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in, or a new truck if it has a fuel economy value at least 2 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in;

or

o $4,500 toward the purchase of a new car if it has a fuel economy value at least 10 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in, or a new truck if it has a fuel economy value at least 5 miles per gallon higher than the trade-in.

* The auto dealer that sells the new car, must accept the trade-in and crush it, then submit paperwork to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the money is directly wired to the auto dealer. This is ripe for fraud and abuse and the bill provides a penalty of a mere $15,000 fine for each abuse.

* Only cars costing less than $45,000 and purchased between July 1, 2009 and November 1, 2009 are eligible.

. . . "

Penske to buy Saturn from GM

Roger Penske has been a very smart businessman over the last few decades - I hope he does well with his newest venture. He's not getting any factories, but he is getting some good dealerships and the parts operation. He'll also have the right to buy models from manufacturers around the world and sell them as Saturns. A lot of companies make good products but don't have the financial muscle to create a US dealership network - they're going to be lining up to provide products for Saturn.

GM to sell Saturn brand to Penske dealership chain - Forbes.com:
"General Motors Corp. has a tentative deal to sell its Saturn brand to auto racing magnate Roger Penske's dealership group, both companies said Friday.

Penske has signed a memorandum of understanding that would give his dealership chain, Penske Automotive Group ( PAG - news - people ), Saturn's 350 dealerships, the companies said. Penske said that he expects to offer all the dealers new franchise agreements and will retain all 13,000 Saturn employees for now.
. . .
Initially, GM will continue to produce on a contract basis the Saturn Aura sedan as well as the Vue and Outlook SUVs. But Penske said he is in talks with global car manufacturers about building Saturn cars in the future.
. . .
Despite a cult-like following that drew thousands to annual reunions in Spring Hill, the brand never made money for GM.
. . .
"Saturn was kind of an unpolished gem at GM," said Brad Coulter, director at the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., turnaround firm O'Keefe and Associates. "They had never really fully exploited what they developed. Saturn is known for having some of the best-run dealerships. The brand is highly rated. It's a top-notch sales organization."

Today, Saturn production is scattered at plants across the U.S. The Aura is built at GM's factory at Kansas City, Kansas. The Outlook is built in Lansing, Mich., while the Vue is built in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

The Saturn Sky roadster is built in Wilmington, Del., but that plant is scheduled to close in July and the model will be discontinued. The Saturn Astra compact hatchback was imported from GM's plant in Antwerp, Belgium, and was discontinued last year.

Penske Automotive will take over the separate Saturn parts warehouse and distribution center in Spring Hill.

Penske in an interview said foreign automakers would be key to his making Saturn succeed, but they will have to match GM's quality standards before Saturn's dealer network will distribute their products.

"As people around the world look at that, they have the opportunity to tap us on the shoulder and say we have product that we'd like to bring into the U.S." he said.
. . .
Detroit-based GM, which filed for bankruptcy court protection Monday, has said it plans to shed its Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab brands. Earlier this week, GM said it found a buyer for Hummer in China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co."

UAW will sell Chrysler stock

While probably a reasonable strategy, this isn't the headline the union needs now - it makes some folks think that the union leadership doesn't expect Chrysler to survive.

UAW Says Won't Control Chrysler - WSJ.com:
"The United Auto Workers president is seeking to distance his union from direct responsibility for the future of Chrysler LLC, noting 55% of the auto maker will be owned by a retiree health care trust fund and not the union itself.
. . .
The trust--known as a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, or VEBA--is supposed to take ownership of 55% of Chrysler as part of a government-brokered cost-cutting plan that union workers ratified earlier this week. Chrysler filed for federal bankruptcy protection Thursday.
. . .
As part of a restructuring worked out before the bankruptcy filing Thursday, the UAW agreed to take half of its debt obligation to its retiree health care trust in equity.
. . .
"This creates additional risk for the retirees' health care; however, with the company being successful, we'll need to turn that stock around, and we have provisions worked in the agreement that even though it won't be a public company until later on, we'll be able to sell those shares under certain circumstances," Mr. Gettelfinger said in his television interview.

Here is another take on the same story.

Health Care Marketplace UAW Planning To Sell Chrysler Stock Obtained From Bankruptcy Deal To Fund VEBA - Kaisernetwork.org:
"United Auto Workers will sell its 55% stake in the reorganized Chrysler as soon as possible to fund a trust that will cover retirees' health care costs, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said Monday, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. Chrysler owes about $10.9 billion to the UAW-operated voluntary employees' beneficiary association, which will cover health benefits for about 82,000 retirees and their spouses, as well as future retirees. The trust will start paying out in 2010.

Gettelfinger expressed confidence in the fund but said that it 'will be on life support initially.' Dental and vision benefits for retirees already have been cut from the VEBA, and further cuts are possible, he said (Johnson, AP/Houston Chronicle, 5/4). The fund will start with $1.5 billion from an existing health care trust, and will receive about $300 million from Chrysler next year. Gettelfinger added that all money from the sale of the Chrysler stock will go to the VEBA (Bennett, Wall Street Journal, 5/5)."

Chrysler Bankruptcy Plan

Where are the lawyers? This seems like WW-II era Italy

Chrysler Bankruptcy Plan Is Announced - NYTimes.com:
"WASHINGTON — President Obama forced Chrysler into federal bankruptcy protection on Thursday so it could pursue a lifesaving alliance with the Italian automaker Fiat, in yet another extraordinary intervention into private industry by the federal government.
. . .
The arrangement came after an intensive round of White House-sponsored negotiations among the Treasury Department, the union and Chrysler’s executives and creditors. After working through the night, a small group of debtholders balked at Mr. Obama’s final terms, leading the president to decide that bankruptcy could not be averted.

It was a stark moment, and one unseen in modern times, as the fledgling president deepened his involvement in a struggling but iconic American company. Chrysler, which Mr. Obama called “a pillar” of the industrial economy, invented the minivan and owns the Jeep brand.

With Thursday’s filing, Chrysler became the first major American automaker to seek bankruptcy protection since Studebaker did so in 1933."

Making gasoline from waste

Technology can solve many of our problems - especially if we don't let government take the profit incentive out of it.

TG Daily - Scientists make gasoline from garbage:
"Scientists at a synthetic biology lab at the University of California have used a bacterium found living on a French dump in the early 1980s which can be used to turn plant waste into gasoline that is chemically indistinguishable from fossil-fuel based petroleum.

Their method allows for the use of agricultural waste products like corn stover and sugar cane bagasse. This sidesteps criticism of biomass projects for helping drive up food prices and damage the environment.

With improvements in the rate of production from genetic engineering, the researchers estimate that production costs could be as low as $1.65 per gallon from sugar cane bagasse."

Jean Jennings' VileBlog - March 16 2007 - Bose Media System | Editors' Soapbox Blog & Discussions at Automobilemag.com Blogs

The intelligent use of technology - at last:

"We love the Bose people, and not just because they know math and we don't. It's because of what they can do with math in the name of making life more wonderful for the rest of us. This time, Bose has developed its first automotive infotainment system and it should set the industry back on its heels for some time to come.

It is a graphically pleasing and easy to grasp navigation system based on GPS and dead-reckoning technology, with all of the cues you need and want prominently displayed on a 6.5' screen. Adding a new destination or dialing up stored one is a snap. That's nice. But it's the music part of the system that will blow your mind.

...

It helps that the Scaglietti's sound system is acoustically customized for its cabin. Hearing Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" in there will make you weep. There's a built-in hard drive you can load through the player, or with a memory stick, and it'll store 30 gigabytes of tunes.

...

There is, of course, an iPod plugin, and a Bluetooth phone function that will download your contact list. And voice control that you just know works better than any voice control you've ever experienced, just because it's Bose."

This Bose system won't be available to most of us for a few years, but hopefully their principles will filter down to other manufacturers. A navigation system shouldn't be so hard to use that it puts you in danger if you try to use it. Good music can do wonders for a person's attitude, possibly improving driving and reducing road rage.