Recent Gas News/GasBuddy Blog

latimes.com -- Sometimes, the best person to preach the wonders of solar power is a man in a ten-gallon hat.

Specifically, that would be J.R. Ewing, the nefarious Texas oil tycoon from the hit television series "Dallas" ..Larry Hagman.

..a major proponent of alternative energy. Solar panels blanket his Ojai estate.. His 94-kilowatt installation cost $750,000 to install but helped cut his electricity bill from $37,000 to $13 a year ..

“It doesn’t make any noise and does a wonderful job,” he said. “I’ve realized that if the infrastructure is so delicate, then I better look after myself.”

He will encourage consumers to go with domestically made solar panels, “made here by Americans, for Americans.”

“It’s keeping jobs here."
“Our security is going to be in producing all of our own energy,”  (go to article)

greenbiz.com -- Butte College in Northern California will begin generating more renewable energy next year than it uses, saving the school an estimated $150 million over the next 30 years.

The Butte College Board of Trustees gave the campus the go-ahead to finish a major solar energy project next year that will push the school's generating capacity to 4.55 megawatts (DC)..

Roughly 15,000 photovoltaic panels will cover parking spaces and roofs to generate the green power..in addition to 10,000 existing solar panels that now generate 1.85 MW..will make Butte College the only college in the U.S. that produces more solar energy on-site than it uses.

The project will ..provide job training to students. The school also offers coursework in green building, solar hot water installation, and energy fundam  (go to article)

AFP -- The number of vehicles on China's roads will more than double to at least 200 million by 2020, a top official was quoted Monday as saying, further straining the nation's environment and energy supply.

China must make it a top priority to develop fuel-efficient and alternative energy cars, the China Securities Journal said, citing Wang Fuchang, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

China's auto sales hit 13.64 million units last year, overtaking the United States as the world's top car market, while sales this year are forecast to hit 15 million units.

The surging car use has brought mounting concerns over pollution, soaring energy demand, and traffic gridlock.  (go to article)

Sacramento Bee -- It's certainly no secret that the oil industry remains deeply embedded in Louisiana culture. Not only does it employ tens of thousands of people, but it is also the economic engine state leaders depend on as they struggle to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Even so, it was something of a surprise earlier this summer when the first round of lawsuits over the BP oil spill reached a federal court in downtown New Orleans.

One of the judges on the court - the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana - recused herself because she owns stock in BP. Another bowed out because her husband holds stock in the firm. Several others stepped aside because they have family members who are involved in BP litigation.  (go to article)

Bloomberg -- Hedge-fund bets against gasoline exceeded wagers that prices will rise for the first time in almost four years as the fuel fell in the final week of the U.S. driving season.

Net-short positions held by money managers in gasoline futures and options increased to 1,169 contracts the week ended Aug. 31, the first time speculators have been bearish since November 2006, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments of Traders report. Hedge funds cut bullish bets for four straight weeks.

Investors have turned bearish on gasoline amid a slide in demand just as the motoring season ends and economic data sends mixed signals about U.S. recovery.  (go to article)

THE NEW YORK TIMES -- If you're considering buying a new car, you may want to consider buying it this weekend.

According to Juan Flores, director of vehicle valuation for Kelley Blue Book, Labor Day is traditionally the best time to buy a car. That is because manufacturers offer generous incentives on current-year models to clear them out and make room on dealer lots for vehicles from the next model year, which traditionally start arriving this month.

"If you just isolated this calendar year, Labor Day is the best time to buy," he said.

So how do this year's Labor Day deals compare with past ones?
 (go to article)

The Washington Post -- When the United States went to war in Iraq, the price of oil was less than $25 a barrel, and futures markets expected it to remain around that level. With the war, prices started to soar, reaching $140 a barrel by 2008. We believe that the war and its impact on the Middle East, the largest supplier of oil in the world, were major factors. Not only was Iraqi production interrupted, but the instability the war brought to the Middle East dampened investment in the region.

In calculating our $3 trillion estimate two years ago, we blamed the war for a $5-per-barrel oil price increase. We now believe that a more realistic (if still conservative) estimate of the war's impact on prices works out to at least $10 per barrel. That would add at least $250 billion in direct costs to our original asses  (go to article)

Detroit Free Press -- 2011 Dodge Durango Citadel is proudly shown off at the ÒDodge Rock ÔnÕ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon presented by SunTrustÓ in Virginia Beach, Va., over the Labor Day weekend. In addition to being title sponsor of the Sunday, Sept. 5, race, the Dodge brand will show off its all-new 2011 Dodge Durango as the official pace vehicle of the race.  (go to article)

solar.calfinder.com -- Kids waiting at the bus stop in Wisconsin this year will be introduced to a new sort of school supply ..much bigger than their new back-to-school sneakers. Plug-in electric school buses are set to carry children in southeastern Wisconsin back to school..

The 11 hybrid electric-diesel buses heading out..in the Oconomowoc school district.. battery-driven electric motor will work in tandem with a conventional diesel motor to power the buses.

In addition to fuel and fuel cost savings, the buses should save money through less maintenance costs due to reduced wear and tear on their engines.

To avoid trading fossil-fueled driving emissions for fossil fuel power plant emissions (used when recharging the buses’ batteries), a solar-powered recharging station was installed at the fleet's gar  (go to article)

San Diego Union Tribune -- A Washington State man who built his own fuel-efficient car 25 years ago repeated his feat of driving border-to-border on a single tank of diesel this week.

"I smashed my old record," Craig Henderson said shortly after arriving at an Otay Mesa parking lot just across the Mexican border Wednesday.

He said the aerodynamic car, which he calls Avion, averaged 119 mpg on its journey from Canada to San Diego. His old record was 103.

The key was an aerodynamic, lightweight design and tires with low rolling resistance from Goodyear, which sponsored the trip.

The car weighs 1,500 pounds and has an 18-gallon fuel tank. To achieve the high mileage, Henderson drove 55 to 60 mph.

 (go to article)

Associated Press -- MADISON, Wis. — A federal appeals court on Friday reinstated Wisconsin's 71-year-old minimum markup law on gasoline, a decision that could save some jobs but increase the cost of gas.

Siding with an association representing small gas station owners, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law that requires retailers to sell gas above cost does not encourage illegal price-fixing.

The court lifted an order entered last year that put enforcement of the law on hold after U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa concluded it violated federal antitrust law and increased the price at the pump by up to 30 cents a gallon.  (go to article)

Associated Press -- WASHINGTON - David Sandalow starts his five-mile commute each day by unplugging an orange extension cord connecting his Toyota Prius hybrid to an outlet in his brick carport.

His Prius, which was converted two years ago to allow him to recharge the battery from an electric outlet, gets more than 80 miles per gallon and lets him drive 30 miles on a single charge. He fills up his car with gasoline about once every month or two, an oddity in a transportation sector long dominated by the internal combustion engine.  (go to article)

Detroit Free Press -- UAW's plan: Tap into worker discontent, focus on social justice

BRENT SNAVELY
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

On this Labor Day weekend, the role of those who advocate for workers and those who want to work -- such as the UAW -- has never been more important.

U.S. unemployment stands at 9.6%, with Michigan at 13.1%.
Those who do have jobs are often anxious about losing them and watching their benefits decline. Incomes are down. And working or not, many people are finding health care expensive or are lacking coverage altogether. For many, retirement seems but a dream.
With four new leaders at its helm, including UAW President Bob King, the union is trying to tap into this worker discontent and recommit itself to broader social-justice issues in an effort to rejuvenate its sunken
 (go to article)

PressTV -- “Global dependence on the OPEC for oil will rise in the next five to 10 years as output by non-OPEC nations falls,” IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said.

"We have seen an increase in non-OPEC supplies. But in the mid-term, non-OPEC production will decline, so dependency on OPEC oil will increase.”

Tanaka noted that the global oil market is currently well supplied. It is anticipated that there will be no change to OPEC production quotas.

Iran is OPEC’s second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia.

In 2009, Iran's crude production stood at approximately at 3.8 million barrels per day.

OPEC's 12 members — Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Angola, Ecuador, and Venezuela — produce about 40 percent of the world's crude oil
 (go to article)

fuelfix.com -- The U.S. Coast Guard (and news organizations) should be forgiven if in the first hour of the Mariner accident there was confusion about whether it occurred on an oil rig or an oil platform.

But once it was clear this was a production platform and not a drilling rig, getting it right did matter.

Why? Because whether you love fossil fuels or hate them, there’s a big difference between drilling (what a rig does) and producing (what a platform does)..

First, the definitions:

•A rig refers to the piece of equipment that actually drills into the earth to tap into oil and gas reservoirs. These are mobile pieces of equipment that can either be self-propelled ships or vessels that are towed from one location to another.

•A production platform is usually a structure that stays in one  (go to article)

Reuters -- NEW YORK/DETROIT, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co [GM.UL] in the first offering of the automaker's stock, six people familiar with preparations for the landmark IPO said.

Subsequent offerings of the government's holdings may be profitable depending on how investors trade the newly listed stock, the sources said.

But the question of whether taxpayers are ultimately made whole on GM's $50 billion bailout could be left open for years, the people said.

It could take more than three years for the Treasury to sell down its remaining stake in GM after the IPO, one person said. That would push a final accounting into the next presidential term.  (go to article)

AP -- A crane hoisted a key piece of oil spill evidence to the surface of the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, giving investigators their first chance to personally scrutinize the blowout preventer, the massive piece of equipment that failed stop the gusher four months ago.  (go to article)

By HARRY R. WEBER, Associated Press Writer Harry R. Weber, Associated Press Writer – -- ON THE GULF OF MEXICO – Icelike crystals had formed Saturday on the 300-ton blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, forcing BP crews to wait before they could safely hoist the device to the surface.

The hydrates — which caused the oil giant problems when the company was trying to contain the oil spilling into the Gulf — need to melt because they are combustible. Crews must take care not to damage the device, which is considered a key piece of evidence in the spill investigation.

"We don't want to lift it and risk an uncontrolled release of gas because that's inherently dangerous," Darin Hilton, the captain of the Helix Q4000 vessel that's raising the device with a giant crane, told The Associated Press.
 (go to article)

TBO.COM -- The R/V Weatherbird II is about to head back out into the Gulf of Mexico again for more research on possible effects of the gigantic BP oil gusher.

It will be the fourth such voyage for the ship, which is scheduled to leave port at 10 a.m. Saturday from the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg.

More than 172 million gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf for months after the April 20 explosion and collapse of a BP oil rig 40 miles off the Louisiana coastline.  (go to article)

CleanTechnica.com -- Put this one in the category of every cloud has a silver lining: E. coli, the bacteria notorious for contaminating food products from lettuce to ground beef, could also play a key role in developing the next generation of biofuels. A team of scientists from Rutgers University is working with computer modeling to tweak the pesky little bug into overproduce fatty acids, which can then be processed into biodiesel.

If the research is successful, chalk up another win for producing biofuels from sustainable, non-food sources that can be grown without competing for land with food crops. The growing list includes weedy plants, woody plants, algae and various microorganisms.
E. coli is short for Escherichia coli, which is a rod-shaped bacteria. Some strains are harmful but others are responsible  (go to article)

New York TImes -- A new report from a University of Michigan researcher estimates that, even without going electric, U.S. cars and trucks could achieve an average efficiency of 74 miles per gallon by 2035. Compared to a federal 2005 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) baseline, that’s a tripling of fuel economy.

Under the researcher’s fuel economy projections, the average car in 2035 would save 5,254 gallons over its lifetime compared to a similar 2005 vehicle, and would emit 47 tons less carbon dioxide.

The report, commissioned by the Energy Foundation, is by John DeCicco, a senior lecturer at the University of Michigan and a former auto policy expert at the Environmental Defense Fund.  (go to article)

Pottstown Mercury -- In the past, diesel fuel was always considered dirtier than gasoline. But newer standards regulating sulfur content and improved technology in diesel engines have made diesel somewhat kinder to the environment.

Many eco-advocates now tout diesel as a viable and preferable alternative to regular unleaded gasoline.

Where diesel fuel really shines over gasoline is improved fuel economy thanks to its higher “energy density”: Diesel contains more power per liter than gasoline.

Today’s diesel engines have 20-40 percent better fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts, which some say more than makes up for the fact that they also produce about 15 percent more greenhouse gases.  (go to article)

AP -- What now for the Gulf? News of another oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico, so soon after the BP oil spill, has set off a wave of anxiety along the Gulf Coast and prompted calls for the government to extend its six-month ban on deepwater drilling.

Just when it seemed the Obama administration might be ready to lift the unpopular ban, the fire raises new questions about the dangers of offshore drilling, leaving the industry wondering when it can get back to work.

"Anything that casts any kind of shadow on the industry right now certainly complicates lifting the moratorium," said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University in Texas. "It makes it difficult to continue to say that (the BP spill) is an aberration."
 (go to article)

all cars electric . com -- Fear is a powerful motivator. It has been used in the past to start wars, persuade kids to study at school and of course, sell life insurance.

But now GM appears to be gearing up to use the fear of running out of electricity to give the extended-range 2011 Chevrolet Volt a competitive edge over purely electric cars.
===
BTW - This is similar, not a repost.  (go to article)

The Sydney Morning Herald -- Crude oil fell after service industries grew in August at the weakest pace in seven months, bolstering concern that the US economic rebound will slow.

Futures slipped after the Institute for Supply Management's index of non-manufacturing business, which covers about 90 per cent of the economy, fell to 51.5 in August from 54.3 the prior month. It was the smallest gain since January. Prices rose earlier when a government report showed companies in the US added more jobs in August than forecast.

"Prices are still pretty lofty, given supply and the economic backdrop," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC, a New York-based hedge fund that focuses on energy. "The economic outlook is at best mixed."
Advertisement: Story continues below

Crude oil for October delivery declined 42 US  (go to article)

inhabitat.com -- By Brit Liggett

Excerpts

"The United States and China are the top countries when it comes to world oil consumption, and the idea behind the partnership has been that these two large countries can find a common ground to work together to solve similar problems."

"Yesterday, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that the two countries have formed the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and will both provide a total of $100 million dollars in funding to research to get both energy hungry countries on the path to a greener future."

"We’re all for the University of Michigan figuring out the future of clean vehicles — especially when considering how much petroleum the US and China’s consume..."

 (go to article)

allcarselectric.com -- Many think the infrastructure for hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles just isn’t there, and they’re mostly right. There have been a few advances in hydrogen production recently, but the distribution system is the weak point. However, there are companies, such as SunHydro, which are helping to change all that and are even partnering with major automakers to help accelerate the development and eventual commercialization of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.

SunHydro is the world's first chain of privately funded fueling stations that provides hydrogen to fuel cell vehicles and produces its fuel using just solar-power and water, meaning it is a true zero emissions source.

The company ..partnered with Toyota and will be commencing trials of ten Toyota Advanced Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle  (go to article)

Petroleum News -- Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, was in listening mode when he appeared in Anchorage Aug. 26 at a BOEMRE forum to hear local views on Arctic Alaska offshore oil drilling safety and oil spill response. Bromwich is conducting a series of similar offshore drilling forums around the United States, to gather input on the issues that Interior says underlie the deepwater drilling moratorium that the agency has imposed for the U.S. outer continental shelf.

Bromwich said that he will report the findings from the forums to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar by Oct. 31, and possibly earlier than that.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher, as the U.S. Department of the Interior moves toward making some decisions about the future of offsho  (go to article)

MoneyNews.com -- Gasoline prices have been falling for weeks, and they could go even lower as autumn's leaves begin to drop.

The national average for a gallon of unleaded regular was $2.681 on Friday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's 6.6 cents lower than a month ago and 8.5 cents higher than a year ago.

The national average has stayed below $3 a gallon for nearly two years, and most analysts think it won't return to that level anytime soon.

"We've got gasoline supplies moving higher rather than lower so until we get unemployment down, you're just not going to see much of an increase in gasoline demand," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates.  (go to article)

MSNBC -- ...
The EPA has worked with the Department of Transportation to set new fuel-efficiency standards, as well as the first greenhouse gas emissions rules, on cars and light trucks. More standards for vehicles sold after 2017 are expected to be released later this month.

The EPA also has moved to regulate greenhouse gases from stationary sources such as power plants and factories.

Starting next year the EPA will require large power plants, manufacturers and oil refiners to get permits for releasing greenhouse gas emissions, though details are unclear.

The EPA will also require industrial sources to submit analyses on the so-called "best available technology" they could add to their plants to cut emissions under the existing Clean Air Act.

 (go to article)

YAhoo/Associated Press -- A federal appeals court on Friday reinstated Wisconsin's 71-year-old minimum markup law on gasoline, a decision that could save some jobs but increase the cost of gas.
Siding with an association representing small gas station owners, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law that requires retailers to sell gas above cost does not encourage illegal price-fixing.
The court lifted an order imposed last year that put enforcement of the law on hold after U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa concluded it violated federal antitrust law and increased the price at the pump by up to 30 cents a gallon.  (go to article)

The Detroit News -- Add Jesse Jackson’s ride to prominent vehicles being stripped in Detroit.

Following the embarrassing news that Mayor Dave Bing’s GMC Yukon was hijacked by criminals this week, Detroit’s Channel 7 reports that the Reverend’s Caddy Escalade SUV was stolen and stripped of its wheels while he was in town last weekend with the UAW’s militant President Bob King leading the “Jobs, Justice, and Peace” march promoting government-funded green jobs.

Read that again: Jackson’s Caddy SUV was stripped while he was in town promoting green jobs.

Add Jesse to the Al Gore-Tom Friedman-Barack Obama School of Environmental Hypocrisy. While preaching to Americans that they need to cram their families into hybrid Priuses to go shopping for compact fluorescent light bulbs to save the planet, they the  (go to article)

GasBuddy Blog -- Just as some newspapers took to the press across the nation, gas prices shot up in areas of the Midwest yesterday. While some communities are seeing and enjoying falling prices, that certainly isn't true in parts of the country.

For those highway travelers- beware... many stations with a close proximity to major roads raise their prices slightly to make sure their margin is healthy. What that means for you- you'll have to be smart to avoid those stations, and what better way to outsmart them by using our GasBuddy apps and mobile site to beat the stations raising prices?

Beyond that, this Labor Day weekend will feature average prices that are slightly over a dime more expensive than last year. In 2009, prices over the long...  (go to article)

Fortune / Yahoo.news -- Looking for bright spots in auto sales so far in 2010 is like hunting for diamonds in a parking lot at Wal-Mart. You are hard pressed to find anything, and when you do, you have to examine it closely to determine its actual worth.

Some analysts have seized on a zircon they may be mistaking for a diamond: the surge in sales of big SUVs. According to Dave Cutting of JD Power, sales of large utilities like the Chevrolet Suburban have risen 22%, while large premium utilities, exemplified by Mercedes' GL 450, are up 21%.

That's in an overall market up only 15%.

The mini-boom in SUVs is thought to be a sign that ... like frogs in boiling water Americans have become accustomed to higher gasoline prices...Customers are hurrying to buy SUVs before they become extinct....  (go to article)

Asspociated Press -- Gasoline prices have been falling for weeks, and they could go even lower as autumn's leaves begin to drop.

The national average for a gallon of unleaded regular was $2.681 on Friday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's 6.6 cents lower than a month ago and 8.5 cents higher than a year ago.

The national average has stayed below $3 a gallon for nearly two years, and most analysts think it won't return to that level anytime soon.

"We've got gasoline supplies moving higher rather than lower so until we get unemployment down, you're just not going to see much of an increase in gasoline demand," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates.
 (go to article)

Omaha World-Herald -- Nebraska farmers who sold corn to the former VeraSun Energy Corp. have been receiving notices from law firms in New York demanding that they pay back any money received from VeraSun 90 days prior to the company filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy Oct. 31, 2008.

The money is to be returned to the bankruptcy-reorganized VeraSun.

VeraSun operated ethanol plants in Ord, Central City and Albion.

An informational meeting is planned for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Valley County Fairgrounds in Ord.

Farmers and any other corn suppliers or vendors need to respond to the notices in order to avoid losing their rights or defenses by default, said Tom Kruml of Stowell, Kruml & Geweke, a law firm in Ord.

More than $100 million could be at stake.  (go to article)

CBC --
Four Greenpeace activists have been arrested after they climbed onto an oil rig off Greenland this week, trying to halt Arctic offshore drilling there.

The four activists were arrested early Thursday and are currently being held in police custody in Greenland, according the environmental activist group.

The protesters had breached a 500-metre security perimeter around Cairn Energy PLC's Stena Don rig off the western Greenland coast on Tuesday, climbed onto the rig and fastened themselves onto it with hanging tents suspended from ropes.  (go to article)

CBC -- BP says it has so far spent roughly $8 billion responding to the disastrous oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

A remotely operated vehicle near the site of the damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico is shown in this picture captured from a BP live video feed this week. (BP/Reuters)
The company says the total included $399 million paid to settle 127,000 claims from businesses and others affected by the oil spill.

The oil company said more than 28,000 people and 4,000 vessels are still engaged in responding to the spill.  (go to article)

CBC News -- A fuel tanker carrying 9½ million litres of diesel fuel has run aground in the Northwest Passage, the Canadian Coast Guard confirmed Thursday.
-----
Trigatti said the situation is stable and the modern, double-hulled ship wasn't damaged on impact. "And there's been no report of danger to the crew or loss of any product or pollutant," he said.
-----
Woodward's is a major oil supplier to Canada's Arctic. The tanker has been carrying diesel to resupply Gjoa Haven and other remote communities in the region.
-----
Woodward's has worked out a plan with the Nunavut government to free the beached tanker. Fuel will be pumped from it to another tanker until the stranded tanker is light enough to float. That operation could take more than a week
 (go to article)

NMPolitics.net -- Shuckins! At my gas station this week was the dreaded note on the pump: “This gasoline now contains ethanol.” I have changed stations several times this last year to keep from buying E10, gasoline laced with 10 percent ethanol. This move to ethanol laced gasoline is political in nature. I have three major objections to being forced to use E10.

First, the BTU (energy) content of E10 is not as high as regular gasoline, so I surrender gas mileage. I already drive carefully and under the speed limit to boost gas mileage so this will not “break the bank” in my life. However, I do not want to spend money foolishly fuelish.

Further, my 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis reacts to E10 with a warning to “Check Engine” which means the oxygen sensors in my car puke with E10.  (go to article)

USA Today -- When the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt go on sale in December, they should give a spark of recognition to their forebears -- cars like this 1931 Detroit Electric Model 97 Brougham.

Old Sparky is going on the auction block this weekend in Auburn, Ind.

By 1931, it was pretty clear that gasoline was going to kill electric power. But Detroit Electric would live on for eight more years:

Detroit Electric produced its first electric car in 1907, a time when it was entirely unclear whether electricity or gasoline -- or both -- would become the fuel of choice for a fast-growing motoring America. Well, we all know how that turned out. One huge advantage for electric power: It was clean and there was no crank starter like on gas models.  (go to article)

Bloomberg BusinessWeek -- Ford says its Focus Electric compact car, which comes out late next year, will use cooled and heated liquid instead of air to regulate the temperature of its lithium-ion battery.

It's the same liquid-based technology that General Motors is using for the battery in its Chevrolet Volt electric car, which is scheduled to go on sale in November. Compact Power Inc., a subsidiary of Korean battery maker LG Chem, is making the batteries for both automakers.

The Nissan Leaf, an electric car set to debut in December, uses an air-cooled lithium-ion battery.

Ford says liquid systems are more effective than air ones at regulating battery temperatures. But the Leaf has matched the Volt's eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty.  (go to article)

Miami Herald --
Senate dawdles while Gulf mishaps continue
Foot-dragging and partisan politics are likely to replace common sense this fall in the U.S. Senate.

The Deepwater Horizon exploded four months ago, apparently long enough to fog lawmakers' memories and dampen the political will required to reform a poorly regulated industry.

Among the many proposals before the Senate is one that would lift the liability cap for companies responsible for damaging spills. This is a no-brainer.

In 1990, lawmakers capped liability at $75 million, a preposterously low sum compared to Deepwater damage claims.

Even BP knew the sum was too low and quickly agreed to a $20 billion compensation fund. But oil industry lobbyists are pushing hard against lifting the cap, and lawmakers are listening with open wa  (go to article)

Reuters -- (Reuters) - Oil eased on Friday as the market joined in the wait for monthly data from leading energy consumer the United States and Hurricane Earl posed a potential threat to the nation's east coast refineries.

U.S. crude for October dropped 38 cents to $74.64 a barrel by 0920 GMT, on track for its third weekly drop in four weeks, while ICE Brent declined 42 cents to $76.51.

U.S. inventory data on Wednesday showed fuel stocks had reached their highest since weekly records began in 1990.

Still the market managed to settle above $75 for the first time this week on Thursday after positive weekly U.S. jobs data drove expectations a double-dip recession could be avoided.

The link between the economy and demand for fuel has helped to keep oil prices closely tuned to other asset clas  (go to article)

USA Today -- White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel drops f-bombs when talking about the United Auto Workers union. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne -- even though Italian is his first language -- drops f-bombs when accusing Chrysler execs of talking down to him. And President Obama stays away from salty language but wonders aloud why the U.S. automakers couldn't they just "make a Corolla," an apparent referece to the popular Toyota sedan's reputation for reliability at the time.

It is all reportedly part of the new tell-all book from Steven Rattner, who served on the White House task force aimed at nursing General Motors and Chrysler through bankruptcy and back on the road to recovery last year, the Huffington Post says. He portrays Obama as fairly even handed,  (go to article)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2010/09/02/129608251/cash-for-clunkers -- The government's "cash for clunkers" program boosted auto sales by 360,000 during the two months it was in place, according to a new study.

But in the seven months that followed, sales were down by 360,000 compared to what they would have been without the program, the study found.

The implication: The program didn't bring new buyers into the market. But it encouraged people who would have bought a car anyway to make their purchase a few months sooner.


Under the program, the government paid people about $4,000 to trade in old cars for newer, more fuel efficient ones. The idea was to both stimulate the economy by driving up auto purchases, and improve the efficiency of all cars on the road.  (go to article)

Detroit Free Press --
Ford will add a four-door crew cab version of its F-150 SVT Raptor off-road performance pickup for the 2011 model year.

In addition to the new four-door model Ford will make the previously optional 411-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 standard equipment on 2011 Raptors.
The Raptor is seven inches wider than a standard F-150 to make room for a seriously upgraded suspension for high-speed off road racing. The Raptor rides on 35-inch Goodrich all-terrain tires. The crew cab Raptor should reach dealers late this year. Picture received Sept. 2,2010 from Ford Motor Company  (go to article)

Journal News -- Those finding themselves with an empty gas tank this holiday weekend will pay a heftier price to refuel, according to web sites that gauge gas prices across Ohio.

The price of a gallon of regular gasoline will rise by 25 to 30 cents Friday, Sept. 3, along the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor, as motorists hit the road for Labor Day weekend, according to CincinnatiGasPrices.com.

Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com in Grand Rapids, Mich., another gas-pricing website, said many stations in the area of Butler and Warren counties raised gas prices to $2.75 a gallon Thursday.

 (go to article)

The New York Times (MSNBC) -- BP is warning Congress that if lawmakers pass legislation that bars the company from getting new offshore drilling permits, it may not have the money to pay for all the damages caused by its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company says a ban would also imperil the ambitious Gulf Coast restoration efforts that officials want the company to voluntarily support.
 (go to article)

MSN Auto -- Surprisingly, hybrid propulsion technology and luxury cars seem to go together like peas and carrots. Unlike their paltry-priced cousins that offer impressive fuel efficiency and give their owners that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from driving a more eco-conscious conveyance, luxury hybrids offer something more: performance and amenities equal to or better than their gas-powered cousins. Well, in theory, anyway. Some do a better job than others. From the stately Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, we present five of the latest luxury fuel-sippers worthy of your hard-earned cash, and five that don't live up to the hype.  (go to article)

inhabitat.com -- By Timon Singh

"Hyundai has announced that they will sell hydrogen fuel cell cars starting in 2012 – three years before Toyota, Honda..."

"Seeing that renewable energy is becoming decidedly cheaper... Hyundai has said that will deliver the world’s first series production fuel cell vehicle in 2012, with 500 hydrogen vehicles rolling off the line that year and more afterwards."

"Hyundai plans to increase production of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles up to 10,000 units by 2015, the year when most other automakers will be just getting started on their FCVs. (FUEL CELL VEHICLES)

"With hydrogen refueling stations becoming more commonplace and the cost of hydrogen fuel cells dropping, customer demand is very likely to increase,...Hyundai plans to beat Toyota’s price tag of $50,000."  (go to article)