Domestic Fuel

Renault has introduced an FFV in France. Renault has focused on electric powered vehicles to lessen gasoline use in the past, but now the Romania based Dacia Logan MCV, now offers a vehicle that can use 100 percent gasoline up to 85 percent ethanol fuel.

The moderately priced 1.6-liter four cylinder FFV Renault replaces the former 1.6 MPI 90 version and, in France, purchase of the vehicle will be tax free. Renault reports that the CO2 emissions are much less so it will qualify for the badging for a low emissions vehicle.

The Logan MCV is available with either a five- or seven-seat configuration. The vehicle is manufactured by the brand’s ISO 14001-certified plant in Pitesti, Romania. It is available now in France.

The new Ford F-Series Super Duty truck will be able to run on a 20 percent blend of biodiesel.

This article from Fleet Owner says the 2011 model year also features an optional Ford-designed and built 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbodiesel rated at 390 hp and 735 ft-lbs torque … making green and mean:

Ed Waszczenko, Ford lead engine durability engineer, noted that B20 biodiesel compatibility is being added for the 2011 model year. That means the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke can be operated on a biodiesel blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% regular petroleum diesel.

According to Waszczenko, the new turbodiesel boasts an average 18% improvement in fuel economy for pickup models and an up to 25% improvement for chassis cabs vs. 2010 Super-duty models, In addition, he said trucks equipped with Ford’s new 6.2-liter V-8 gasoline engines will deliver an average 15% fuel economy improvement over the OEM’s comparable 2010 models.

As you might remember from Chuck’s coverage from the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, Ford has debuted its B20 Truck Badge.

Wisconsin-based Valentin Technologies has revealed its 170 miles per gallon (mpg) concept car called the IngoCar. Currently under development, initial sketches indicate the car will be a mid-sized four door sportswagen passenger car. Styling for the car was provided by Davide Tonizzo, of designD.

Company founder, Ingo Valentin, said in a press release, “Finally outstanding performance and extremely high mileage are combined in a mid-size passenger car. We are proud to unveil our vision of an automobile that has the style, interior space, comfort and cost of a BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class combined with unprecedented range and fuel economy.”

Based on a mix of city and rural driving, the car’s estimated mileage is 170 mpg but this feat is not achieved with a battery. Rather, the car uses a revolutionary hydraulic-fluid drive making the car a hybrid gasoline/hydraulic drive system. According to the company, here is how it works. Using a small engine, fluid is pumped into an accumulator. The fluid then drives hydraulic wheel motors for shiftless acceleration. During braking, motors are reversed and pump the entire recuperated braking energy back into the accumulator. This innovative technology and the car’s light weight give an estimated range of 1,000 miles for a full 6 gallon tank of fuel.

IngoCar has some speed too. It can go from 0-60 in 4 seconds. The company has not indicated when the IngoCar will be available and the price.  Click here to see images of the car and to learn more.

The next time you are looking to buy a car, considering reserving a fuel-efficient car by texting. The Ford Fiesta, a popular car in Europe for its good gas mileage, is soon to make its way to the US. Ford is taking reservations for the car, which is estimated to get 40 miles per gallon (mpg) on the highway and 30 mph in the city. To get on the waiting list, simply text “reserve” to 4Ford.

According to the company, they already have 6,000, 2011 Fiesta’s on hold, with half coming from non-Ford owners. You can also order your car “old-school” by going online and customizing your car. Once it is virtually built, the site will tell you the price.

The cost for the Fiesta begins around $14,000 and will be available Summer of 2010.

2010 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

The vice chairman of Global Product Operations for General Motors told attendees of the 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference that his company will keep putting more flexible fuel vehicles on the road, but more ethanol pumps are needed to fuel them.

Tom Stephens said GM is committed to making more than half of their vehicle production flex fuel capable by 2012. “GM is spending about $100 million a year adding flex fuel capability to our vehicles,” he said. “We can’t afford to leave this capital stranded.”

He noted that the majority of flex fuel vehicles are in highly populous areas, especially the east and west coasts, while the majority of E-85 fueling stations are located in the Midwest. He advocates the use of blender pumps to allow retailers to put both mid and high level blends in the pumps so consumers can choose the right fuel for their vehicles.

However, when it comes to increasing the blend level to 15 percent ethanol, he added a note of caution. “We believe it’s critical to complete the planned testing of mid level blends to understand the impact on light duty fleet, off-road vehicles, boats and other equipment,” he said. “Until the results of these comprehensive durability tests are fully understood, we remain concerned about customers using fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol. If ethanol gets a bad name, it will be bad for everyone.”

You can listen to or download Stephen’s speech in the player below and watch part of his talk here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (12.4MB)

A pretty bold concept car from Kia Motors that should be as green as it is cool looking has made its debut at this year’s Chicago Auto
Show.

The Detroit News reports that the Kia Ray Plug-in Hybrid concept was rolled out during a press conference this week and is the latest offering from the company’s global alternative fuel and powertrain research program:

The Kia Ray concept is a boldly styled four-seat compact sedan built on the Kia Forte platform that demonstrates a prospective plug-in hybrid configuration from Kia. It is designed with lightweight and recycled materials, and has hexagonal roof-top solar cells embedded in the glass roof panel to power extra lighting or climate control systems.

The Kia Ray is the fifth vehicle from the Irvine Calif.-based Kia Design Center America to be shown in the past year. The latest design from KDCA follows award-winning Kia vehicles Soul, Forte, Forte Koup and the all-new 2011 Sorento CUV.

Kia is offering an “EcoDynamics” sub-brand for its fuel-stretching and emissions-cutting technologies.

If anyone has a chance to go to this show (going on now through Feb. 21) and see this car first hand, let me know what you think.

It has been a busy day here at the start of the National Biodiesel Conference. After getting these posts done I’ll be heading over to the Super Bowl Reception but should have more up later this evening and tomorrow morning.

Another vehicle manufacturer was on hand this morning at our Classic Clean Fuels media event. Ford was represented by Brien Fulton.

He was showing off the new badge they’re putting on 2011 model Super Duty pickups. This is what it looks like. Very classy, eh? Brien says the engines in these trucks will be fully capable of running on B20.

You can download (mp3 file) or listen to Brien’s announcement here:

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You can also download (mp3 file) or listen to a short interview I did with Brien here:

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National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

The media got to hear from Craig Eppling, Regional Communications Manager for GM this morning. He spoke at the ride and drive event which took place at Classic Clean Fuels in Grapevine. It was a brisk morning but we got through the program before some sprinkles hit the area. Afterward we toured Direct Fuels biodiesel plant and I’ll have more on that later.

Craig announced that 2011 models of their heavy duty trucks and cargo vans will be B20 compliant.

They’ll be displayed first at an upcoming auto show.

You can download (mp3 file) or listen to Craig’s announcement here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

You can also download (mp3 file) or listen to a short interview I did with Craig here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

The Washington Auto Show, operating as the “Public Policy Show”, plans to showcase many new and exciting automobiles. For the first time, flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) powered by government waste will be displayed by Novozymes, the world’s largest enzyme producer for advanced biofuels.

According to their press release, the group will offer an opportunity of a Ride n’ Drive on January 26 — a test drive of a Chevrolet HHR powered by E85 made from paper waste. The Ride ‘n Drive will allow media, government officials and other VIP guests can to drive the vehicle between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Novozymes will make an address to the crowd from 2:35 – 2:45 p.m.

The Washinton Auto Show will officially begin January 27 and conclude January 31. It will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W. in Washington, DC 20001. Novozymes will display a FFV Ford F150 inside the convention center on these days.

Yesterday, I told you how electric vehicles were all the rage at this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan going on now through January 24th. Well, Ford’s Fusion hybrid is the toast of the town (and, really, the toast of the entire automotive world) as it has picked up the coveted Car of the Year award.

The Detroit Free Press has details:

Jurors stressed that the Fusion hybrid drove more like a “normal car” than many hybrids, but still had strong fuel efficiency.

“The Fusion completely raises the bar on hybrids,” said Krebs, noting the smooth transition from running on gas to electric power. The Fusion hybrid, already a strong Camry competitor, won drivers over with its 41 m.p.g. in city driving. The Fusion beat out the other finalists, the Volkswagen Golf and the Buick LaCrosse.

While the Fusion hybrid is winning the hearts of critics, it’s also winning over ordinary consumers. Ford Fusion sales … both gasoline and hybrids … were up more than 22 percent last year, with about one-fifth of those sales being hybrids.