Volvo showed off a next-generation EV, Volvo C30k, slated for real-world trials in 2011, and Volkswagen took the wraps off its New Compact Coupe hybrid concept, which has an estimated combined fuel economy of 45 mpg. The 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid was named North American Car of the Year. The NAIAS runs through January 24. See the BYD Auto Web sites for the NAIAS, the e6, and the F3DM; the press releases from BMW, GM, Volvo, Volkswagen, and Ford; and the NAIAS Web site.
Automotive X Prize to Hold Competitive Events in Michigan
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize has chosen Michigan to host a multi-stage competition that will determine the winners of its $10 million prize purse for super fuel-efficient vehicles.
51 competing cars from 41 teams will compete on the track at the Michigan International Speedway, beginning April 26 and continuing through July. During the closed-door competition, organizers will evaluate the efficiency, safety, and performance of each vehicle under real-world conditions. There will be a public open house at the Michigan State Capitol on April 29, and the racetrack will be open to the public at some time in July, but not during competitive events. In August, the vehicles will undergo dynamometer testing (similar to vehicle emissions tests) at a U.S. EPA lab, with technical support from DOE's Argonne National Lab. An award ceremony will take place in September.
Prizes totaling $10 million will be awarded to the teams that win the competition - creating clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed the energy equivalent of 100 mpg. See the Automotive X Prize press release and Web site.
11 Governors Commit to Regional Low-Carbon Fuel Standard
Governors of 11 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 30 that commits their states to developing a regional low-carbon fuel standard - a market-based, fuel-neutral program that addresses the carbon content of fuels. If adopted by the states, the standard would apply to the transportation sector, and potentially to fuels used for heating buildings.
The MOU establishes a process to develop a regional framework by 2011 and to examine the economic impacts of a low-carbon fuel standard while getting input from business and environmental stakeholders. The 11 signatories include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. See the press release from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and the MOU (PDF 642 KB).
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) spearheaded the concept of a low-carbon fuel standard, adopting a standard in April 2009 to achieve a 10% reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 2020. The measure was given final approval on January 12 by the California Office of Administrative Law, causing the regulation to take effect immediately. See CARB's Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Web page and an article on the standard from the EERE Network News.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
