New York, NY (PRWEB) April 2, 2010
The following is a statement on auto fuel standards issued today by Jack Halpern, President of Energy Alternatives for the 21st Century (EA-21):
EA-21 supports President Obama's decision to increase auto fuel efficiency 42% by 2016 as part of a plan for energy independence and security. But if the President means what he says about the need to move the U.S. off of oil, we challenge him to get serious by passing the one measure that should be the centerpiece of such an effort: the proposed Open Fuel Standard Bill. Passing that bill would require auto manufacturers to produce "Flexible Fuel" vehicles that can run on alternatives to gasoline, and would reduce gasoline consumption in new cars by as much as 85%, not just 42%. Better still, Flexible Fuel Cars can be built for an added cost of merely $ 100 a car, not the thousands that it will cost to improve auto efficiency. Mandating that Detroit produce them could have double the impact of today's announced auto fuel economy improvements, at a fraction of the cost.
We aren't suggesting that Flexible Fuel cars be put in place instead of improved fuel efficiency. Improved fuel efficiency will reduce the demand for oil, and thus provide more time for America to devise solutions for alternative ways to fuel our cars. But there is already one alternative available immediately for doing so. So anyone serious about ending our dependence on oil should be looking for ways to put that alternative in place right now.
The Open Fuel Standard measure has already been incorporated in the House Climate Bill. But no action has been taken on the measure (S 835) in the Senate. Although then-candidate Obama said that every car in America should be built that way, President Obama has been silent on the issue.
According to a report issued by EPA during President Obama's first year in office, such an Open Fuel Standard could put 177 million flexible fuel cars on the road in a decade, and would reduce consumption of foreign oil by nearly 25%. To put that impact in perspective this single simple measure -- the Open Fuel Standard -- would have 50 times the impact of the Administration's weatherization program and nearly double the impact of improved fuel efficiency standards.
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Hybrids electrify auto industry
Nissan will launch an all-electric car, the compact Leaf, later this year. Meanwhile, GM has a so-called plug-in hybrid on the way, the Chevrolet Volt, which is powered by an electric motor but includes a small gasoline engine to provide electricity for the motor when the battery pack runs down.
Read more on Greenwich Citizen
Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships to Sell Wheego Electric Cars
Wheego Electric Cars
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) July 15, 2010
WHEEGO ELECTRIC CARS, manufacturer of all-electric vehicles, today announced it has appointed Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships as its dealer throughout the Greater Atlanta, Georgia area.
"We are headquartered here in Atlanta," said Wheego President Jeff Boyd, "so we are very familiar with the reputation of the local dealerships. In Atlanta, the Jim Ellis name is synonymous with excellent business practices and top-notch customer service. We are very pleased that Jim Ellis has chosen Wheego Electric Cars as part of their portfolio as they launch Georgia's preeminent Electric Vehicle dealership.
"Wheego Electric Cars is about to beat all the major auto manufacturers to market with an affordable all-electric car," said Jim Ellis Auto's COO, Jimmy Ellis. "We will launch our EV initiative with the Wheego Whip LSV, a low-speed all-electric car that is particularly suitable to neighborhood driving and fleet usage. Customers can take the low-speed car for a test drive at our dealership in July and get a sense of the engineering, styling and overall quality of the Wheego brand… and, they can also reserve the first highway speed, crash tested, all electric car on the Wheego website for delivery beginning in September. When Wheego rolls out the highway version, called the LiFe, we'll also have the car available at our dealership for our Atlanta area customers to test drive. It's a great fit for anyone who commutes under 50 miles each way because you can drive the car 100 miles on a charge; and, then, just as easy as a cell phone, you can plug it in every night to recharge. You'll zip right by the gas station every day. Plus, you can drive this car in the HOV lane in Georgia by yourself."
The highway-ready Wheego LiFe goes approximately 100 miles on a charge, and retails for $ 32,995. The Wheego LiFe qualifies for a $ 7,500 Federal tax credit, and a $ 5,000 Georgia state tax credit, dropping the effective net price in Georgia to under $ 21,000. In addition, Georgia drivers will be able to drive the Wheego LiFe in the HOV lane (with no additional passenger in the car) by obtaining an alternate fuel vehicle license plate.
The Wheego LiFe comes fully-equipped with driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, and power windows and locks. The 115V lithium battery pack can be charged from a standard 120V outlet, a 240V outlet or any of the J1772 standard charging stations being installed in public locations throughout the US. It is available in red, white, blue, black, silver, and green. The Wheego Whip LiFe is a two-seat subcompact car with fit, finish and features that compete with any other subcompact car on the market.
Atlanta drivers can reserve a Wheego LiFe by visiting http://www.wheego.net and making a fully refundable $ 100 deposit. The highway-ready LiFe will be available through Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships beginning in September. For more information or to locate a Jim Ellis dealership, visit jimelliswheeego.com.
About Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships
Jim Ellis is a family-owned business with twelve sales and service locations and almost 40 years' experience in the Atlanta area. Jim Ellis was honored in 2008 as Time Magazine's Dealer of the Year, and has won the Consumer's Choice award for Business Excellence for the past six years. For more information about Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships, visit the company website at http://www.jimellis.com.
About Wheego Electric Cars
Wheego Electric Cars is an innovation-driven and environmentally-conscious manufacturer of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Under the leadership of Mike McQuary, CEO and former MindSpring entrepreneur, Wheego Electric Cars has become a leader in the integration of advanced technology components. Wheego Electric Cars is one of the first EV companies to deliver affordable fully capable, street legal all-electric cars for everyday consumer use. The Wheego line of electric vehicles is emission-free, making them an ideal choice for consumers and businesses who want to reduce their carbon footprint. Wheego is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The cars are assembled in Ontario, California.
For more information about Wheego, and to view the list of Wheego dealers, visit the company website at http://www.wheego.net.
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Article by Jenny McLane
It is common knowledge among car enthusiasts and car owners that the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the amount of fuel it consumes. With this in mind, several automobile producers have begun diverting a big chunk of their efforts to producing more hybrid 4x4s in the year 2005. Taking on the Fleet First. The big three - Ford, Dodge and General Motors have seemed to agree that 2005 is the perfect opportunity to introduce the hybrid versions of some very popular vehicles. Ford Introduces the Ford Escape Hybrid, the first vehicle to combine SUV capability with the outstanding fuel economy and low environmental impact of a full hybrid. "Full" hybrid means it automatically switches between pure electric power, pure gasoline or diesel engine power or a combined operation to optimize efficiency and performance. The no frills Escape Hybrid drives normally, performs superbly and offers all the features you'd expect from the SUV leader. The Hybrid Ford Escape features lots of room, comfortable seating for five, an adaptable cargo area, 1000-pound towing capacity, and an optional Intelligent 4WD System which produces the same all-weather grip and off-road competence available in conventional Escape models.Full hybrids can achieve 50% or more improvement in fuel economy during traffic induced stop-and-go type of driving, wherein the electric motor is most efficient. The Escape Hybrid delivers more than 75% fuel economy improvement in city driving when weighed against a conventional V-6 powered Escape XLT. The Escape Hybrid can travel more than 400 miles in city driving on a single tank of gasoline. Ford has already manufactured and sold the 4,000 units Ford Escape Hybrid in 2004 and its resounding success has prompted it to build a "modest" 20,000 more for 2005. Ford wants to make sure it is not just a fad and people would see the practical, economical and environmental impact a Hybrid vehicle can induce. The Escape Hybrid costs ,300 more than the V-6 powered Escape.Dodge and General Motors follow suit. Ford has been the first to produce and set the bar in the large vehicle Hybrid market segment and Dodge and GM cannot afford to lag behind. General Motors and Dodge are not that far behind though. In the last quarter of 2004, General Motors introduced electric hybrid versions of its 2005 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The trucks were only available to those who are in Florida, California, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington. GM expects to produce about 2,500 units in 2005 - 1,875 Silverados and 625 Sierras - with the hopes of launching the vehicles on a national scale by 2006. Dodge manufactured only 100 diesel-electric 2005 RAM pickups, targeted for utility company fleets. The diesel will produce better fuel economy, with an additional 15% mpg boost over the conventional diesel Ram coming from the electric side. Diesels are generally considered more "environmentally disastrous" on the ecological front. The Dodge Ram Diesel Hybrid is expected to sell for around ,000 a somewhat larger cost than the non-hybrid models. Heftier Price Tags. Although the price tags may vary from state to state, the average increase for the cost for a Hybrid option may run well up to ,000. The GM versions of the Hybrid engine are soft-hybrids, which mean that an electric motor provides a boost up on accelerations. The GM version of a hybrid large vehicle has a stop-start system that turns off the gasoline engine at traffic lights. It possesses a 120-volt, 2,400-watt generator system that can provide power for electrical equipments. The Silverado and Sierra hybrids also serves as power generators, with two conventional, three-prong plug-ins that can be found under the rear seat, two extra plug-ins can also be found in the rear bed of the trucks. The four 120-volt, 20 amp electrical supplementary power outlets can supply power for electric coolers, electric ranges, sound systems video consoles and other electrical equipments that can be lugged around. The power supply can be utilized while the engine is running or even after the engine is cut and the keys are taken out of the ignition. Ground fault detection systems are installed in the power supply circuits so that overloads and short circuits can be prevented. According to General Motors, the new hybrid pickups could sustain enough power to last for up to 32 hours non-stop before needing to fill the tank again. This function new feature proved to be very useful when GM loaned some of their new Hybrids' to hurricane stricken Florida when they were used for some relief operations, they were vital in some areas were electricity was incapacitated. The hybrid models of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks are foreseen to develop fuel savings of up to 10% over analogous trucks without the hybrid benefit.How exactly do Hybrids get such Fantastic Mileage? HV's (Hybrid Vehicles) are principally powered by an internal combustion engine, much like any ordinary vehicles. However, they also transform the energy that is normally wasted during stop and go operations into electricity, which is stored in a battery until the moment it is needed by the electric motor. The electric motor is utilized to support the engine when accelerating or doing some uphill driving and in low-speed driving operations where internal combustion engines are least efficient. Some Hybrid Vehicles also automatically shut off the engine when the vehicle is idling and restarts the internal combustion engine when the accelerator is depressed. This avoids exhausted fuel when the vehicle is not in motion. Unlike all-electric vehicles, HV's that are being produced today do not need to be plugged into an external source of electricity to be recharged, the energy provided by the engine and the braking force charges the batteries.Is it worth the fuss and the costs? It all boils down to one thing, Large Hybrid Vehicles cost more than their non-hybrid counterparts. Deciding on the advantages though is not that hard. You get better mileage, companies save on fuel consumption, electric motors are all the rage plus you get to help the environment. Also, the hybrid SUV's pay for themselves in the long run, costs may be cut through tax incentives and decreased fuel consumption help to offset the price difference. Determining the cost-savings ratio would be one factor many car manufacturers will keep in mind while keeping close scrutiny in their products. Nevertheless a large hybrid vehicle may just be the thing the future needs.<u>Parts Train</u> has been a leader in the online parts supplying industry for many years now. They have over 25 years of experience in dealing with cars and have been regarded as experts in their field. Available in their wide array of stocks are a variety of products that can help maintain, enhance, replace and repair any make and model of vehicle available in the market today. Call their toll-free hotline, 1-888-251-1214 for all your inquiries and comments. At <u>www.partstrain.com</u> they guarantee perfect fit and excellent quality.
About the Author
Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.
Suburb-friendly electric cars dominate Auto Show
The star of the annual Chicago Auto Show is the Chevrolet Volt. Makers of Motor Trend's Car of the Year has made promises of energy efficiency and reduced reliance on fuel, but will it be the answer for suburban commuters?
Read more on Daily Herald
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