Filed under: Volvo, Carbon Offset

Back in January, we reported on the Lindell family as they embarked on their “One Tonne Life” challenge outside of Stockholm, Sweden. Three months into the project, the Lindells had reduced their carbon emissions by an impressive 64 percent, dropping from 7.29 tons of CO2 emissions per person per year to just 2.7 tons. Now, some six months into the challenge, the Lindells have slashed their emissions by nearly 80 percent, compared to January, and will finish the project with a paltry 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions per person per year. It’s a big change, but falls short of the stated goal of emitting just one metric ton of carbon emissions per person per year.

Transportation and electricity consumption were two key areas in which the Lindells made significant progress. This is thanks mostly to their state-of-the-art home - equipped with energy efficient appliances that run on solar and wind power - and the Lindell’s electric Volvo C30.

Alicja Lindell had this to say of the family’s journey down to 1.5 tons:

On our way down to 2.5 tonnes we didn’t have to make any major compromises in our everyday lifestyles. After that, however, things got tougher. Living at the 1.5 tonne level was an extreme experience for us.

“One Tonne Life” is a project in which A-hus, Vattenfall and Volvo, along with partners ICA and Siemens, created the necessary preconditions for a climate-smart household. Over a six-month period, the Lindells have switched from their 1970s villa and aging vehicles to a climate-sensitive wooden house provided by A-hus and a battery-powered Volvo C30 Electric. Vattenfall provided renewable electricity and ICA and Siemens coached the family in the areas of food and household appliances.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo’s “One Tonne Life” challenge almost reaches goal; family gets down to 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions

Volvo’s “One Tonne Life” challenge almost reaches goal; family gets down to 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Carbon Offset

The carbon-offset powers that be over at TerraPass have updated its online, carbon footprint calculator to include estimates for greenhouse gas emissions from electric vehicles (EVs). Though EVs do not directly emit greenhouse gases, most - not all - do generate some emissions along the line when the electricity used to recharge the batteries is generated.

Following the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead, the TerraPass calculator utilizes the “miles per gallon-equivalent” figure displayed on a vehicle’s window sticker to make its calculations, with a “gallon-equivalent” pegged at 33.7 kWhs. For example, the EPA officially rates the battery-powered Nissan Leaf at 99 MPGe. The electric vehicle calculations on TerraPass are available by clicking the “Alternative Fuel” option on the site’s main carbon calculator page. Users can then enter the MPGe for any battery-powered vehicle.

In addition, the calculator update provides emissions estimates for all 2011 model year vehicles on sale nationwide.

[Source: TerraPass]

Continue reading TerraPass updates carbon footprint calculator to include electric vehicles

TerraPass updates carbon footprint calculator to include electric vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 01 May 2011 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: MPG, Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy

News of new CAFE regulations that would push mileage requirements up significantly came just days ago. The numbers are set and automakers will have to aim high, sort of, to hit the target of 35 miles per gallon by 2016. Several reports have stated that meeting these goals will add an average of $985 to the price of a new car by 2016. Estimates have also come in showing that automakers will spend a staggering $51.5 billion over the next five years to meet the new requirements. So, what’s the real cost to you?

Aside from living in a cleaner environment created by the “greener” cars of tomorrow, is there any other benefit of increased fuel standards? The answer is a simple, “yes.” Though the average car might cost an additional $985 up front, this is more than offset by money saved in fuel. In fact, over the life of the car or truck, the average new car buyer will realize a return on their investment of an extra $3,000 plus dollars in your wallet. Sounds like a good deal to us.

So why is everyone crying over the new regulations? Because they want pity. Automakers want pity for spending more money to make cars, even though the cost is passed right on to the consumer. Consumer groups want pity for dishing out $985 extra in an already beaten economy, an understandable but misleading case. The truth is, the new CAFE rules are far from costly and they will benefit buyers more directly than anyone else. Plus, they will benefit all of us by creating a greener future.

[Source: Detroit News]

What’s the real cost of new CAFE regulations? Millions, billions, nothing? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily

If you have never seen a Digg Dialogg video segment, today is as good a time as any. On this special Earth Day episode of Digg Dialogg, former U.S. President Bill Clinton sits down and discusses the environment, climate change, sustainability, the electric car and so much more. The candid interview answers questions submitted and Dugg by users. Questions with the most Diggs are answered in this lengthy and educational interview. And what’s not to love about Bill Clinton, right? (Not everyone needs to answer that.)

Portions of the interview touch on points discussed on this site every day. The in-depth answers really do help shed some light on a lot of the topics and it appears as though former President Clinton know his stuff - except the part about burying advanced car batteries when they’re all used up; everyone knows that the aftermarket for these will be huge. Also, what’s up with Digg choosing two seriously old plug-in vehicles - the Phoenix SUV and the concept version of the Chevrolet Volt - for the video graphics? Follow after the jump to watch the video in its entirety. There’s some interesting bits of information and you can jump ahead to the discussion about the electric car around the nine minute mark, if that’s your only interest. Hat tip to Eric!

[Source: Digg| Image: Roger H. Goun - C.C. License 2.0]

Continue reading Video: Dialogg episode with Bill Clinton discussing environment, electric cars

Video: Dialogg episode with Bill Clinton discussing environment, electric cars originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily

Concerns over how electric cars fit into new CAFE emissions regulations popped up almost immediately after the announcement of new standards became official. The main question is how automakers will be credited for their electric vehicles (EVs). Specifically, will electric vehicles, with zero tailpipe emissions, help an automaker offset its high emission vehicles?

The Environmental Protection Agency has responded to concerns by capping the number of zero-emission vehicles that count for the CAFE standards. Officially, the EPA will allow each automaker to apply up to 200,000 zero-emissions vehicles towards the emission goals through 2016. After 2016, electric vehicles will no longer carry a zero-emissions tag. EVs will be assessed an emissions number based loosely upon the CO2 created from producing the electricity needed to charge the vehicle.

As expected, some companies are displeased with the setup. In particular, companies who anticipate high sales of electric vehicles in the coming years are not thrilled. Others have noted that emissions created by generating electricity is outside of the control of an automaker and it’s simply unfair to base emission ratings on something beyond their control. There are also several groups that are overlyjoyed with the new regulations. Whether happy or not, the EPA guidelines are official and it looks like complaints from automakers will go unheard.

Live photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: USA Today]

EPA responds to CAFE concerns by limiting zero-emission status to first 200,000 vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, USA

Last May, President Obama announced an increase in CAFE standards to reduce greenhouse gases and improve fuel economy.
The next step is coming soon. The White House is expected to announce proposed changes to CAFE rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles - something called the “Clean Cars” rule - later today. Currently, the Department of Transportation manages fuel economy standards, the Environmental Protection Agency deals with emissions, and individual states like California can use the Clean Air Act to create even more stringent rules. Since 2004, California, 13 other states and the District of Columbia have done just that. The problem is, these conflicting standards could create a situation where car makers have to deal with rules from three separate agencies. The Clean Cars rule will be a national standard that California will support and the DOT and EPA will both adopt.

The combined EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards that make up this proposed national standard (Clean Cars) would apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, covering model years 2012 through 2016. The new rules would require these vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emissions level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, equivalent to 35.5 miles per gallon if the automobile industry were to meet this carbon dioxide level solely through fuel economy improvements. More than likely, the 35.5-mpg equivalent will only be achieved by actually getting the fleet to 34 mpg, and the remaining 1.5 mpg equivalent will be achieved through improvements in air conditioning systems. Together, the EPA says that these proposed standards would cut carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 217 million metric tons and reduce U.S. crude dependency by 1.5 billion barrels of oil.

Under this proposed national program, automobile manufacturers would be able to build a single light-duty national fleet that satisfies all requirements under both the National Program and the standards of California and other states, while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices. The final numbers are expected soon. Stay tuned.

[Source: Environmental Protection Agency]

Big CAFE announcement expected later today originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, USA

The cosmic oil-consumption scales have been tipping back and forth a lot this week. On Tuesday, Nissan revealed that its all-electric Leaf will be priced lower than most of us expected. On Wednesday, President Obama announced that we’ll be ramping up our off-shore drilling efforts on the East Coast. And on Thursday, the EPA and NHTSA announced changes to the nation’s CAFE standards, upping them to more than 34 miles per gallon by 2016 and regulating green house gasses for the first time. So, in case you didn’t follow, we’ll be using none while drilling for more and then using less. Got it?

What’s next in all this petromonium? The answer might be higher fuel taxes. Ladies and gentleman, behold the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman Energy Reform Bill. Along with a bevy of various carbon cap-and-trade ideas, carbon taxes, carbon dividends, carbon tariffs and carbon decoder rings, the K-G-L-E-R-B (K-Glerb?) recommends a straight fee or tax, paid by consumers at the pump, on transportation fuels. The levy would be linked to the carbon content of the fuel and the price of carbon in the other markets.

Raising taxes is rarely a solid political move, but its hard to argue that the average U.S. driver is overly-taxed at the pump. As of January, 2009, Americans paid less in fuel taxes than the citizens of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Spain, Hungary, South Korea, Italy, France, Belgium, Norway, Germany, Britain, Holland or Turkey. But shouldn’t we pay lower fuel taxes? Our country is huge! With the exception of Canada and Australia, most of those other nations are smaller than our larger states. And they have high-speed trains. We, on the other hand, have to drive. You ever tried living out in Western Kansas without a car? Virtually impossible.

So, how would consumers react to a carbon-based increase in fuel taxes? Raising taxes is rarely a solid political move, and its doubtful that the average driver would take much comfort in that fact about our fuel taxes already being lower than the rest of the industrialized world. On the other hand, in the coming years, the U.S. fleet will become more efficient to meet the new CAFE standards. So instead of paying less at the pump more often, we’ll be paying more at the pump less often. And the cosmic oil-consumption scales will have been brought back into balance once more (GONG SOUND).

[Source: Treehugger]

KGLERB stands for potential fuel tax increase based on carbon content in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Green Culture, Carbon Offset, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily

Sure, there might be a fleet of advanced technology vehicles cruising the streets of Copenhagen this week and next for the COP 15 Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009, but that doesn’t mean that literally tons of CO₂ won’t be emitted during the talks.

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is putting on the talks, the 17,000 attendees to Hopenhagen will emit about 40,500 tons of CO₂ during the two-week event, including travel to and from their homes. This is about as much as 200,000 passenger cars will emit during the fortnight.

How will this happen? Well, for one thing, attendees are asking for more limos - over 1,200 - than exist in Denmark, so some are being driven in from Sweden and Germany, the Telegraph reports. About 140 extra private jets are expected at local airports during this time, too. It’s not just participants who are contributing to the mess, but activists and people like anti-climate change U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, who are coming to Copenhagen to make their criticisms heard. At least they’re doing it in a city that does more than most to embody clean living principles.

And, for the weirdest headline - thus far - from the whole summit: Prostitutes to offer free sex to UN climate summit participants.

[Source: Telegraph, Green Car Advisor]
Photo by woodleywonderworks. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Reality Bites: limos, CO₂ emissions and private jets at Hopenhagen originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Toyota, Carbon Offset, Green Daily, Japan

Automakers make cars and trucks, no surprises there. Some even make other interesting things, like Honda, which also builds motorcycles, jets, robots and solar cells. But up until now, we haven’t been able to think of any car companies that develop their own species of flowers. Thankfully, Toyota has reportedly stepped in to correct that oversight by creating two derivatives of the cherry sage and gardenia at its factory in Toyota City, Japan.

This is the plant where the Japanese automaker assembles the Prius hybrid, which seems fitting since the flowers were specifically chosen due to their ability to absorb nitrogen oxides and create water vapor. These attributes clean the surrounding air and lower temperatures at the factory.

Other environmentally-friendly efforts at the plant include roof-mounted solar panels, photocatalytic paint on exterior walls, reflective solar tubes that provide interior light and even slow-growing grass that only needs to be mowed twice per year (we’ve got dibs). According to Toyota, these initiatives help lower the carbon footprint at the plant, which is a good thing since production of the Prius hybrid is a carbon-intensive operation.

[Source: drive.com.au]

REPORT: Toyota develops its own flower species for cleaner air at Prius plant originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Audi, Carbon Offset

In conjunction with the launch of its diesel engines in the U.S., Audi has created a Facebook Causes page to benefit the Nature Conservancy. For every person that joins the cause, Audi has committed to donating a dollar to the Tensas River basin project where the Nature Conservancy is conducting a carbon offset program. The Tensas project involves reforestation of private lands and restoring natural habitats that have been shrinking due to human activity.

Audi has committed to donating up to $25,000 to the program. The project will buy land, plant trees and then monitor the carbon effects of all the work. The Tensas River Basin is in the lower Mississippi valley. Just head over to www.causes.com/natureconservancy to trigger another donation.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi launches Facebook causes page to benefit Nature Conservancy

Audi launches Facebook causes page to benefit Nature Conservancy originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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