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GM Hones its Sequel Fuel-Cell System

Three years ago, General Motors wheeled what looked like a giant silver skateboard onto a stage at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, touting the creation as a glimpse of the automotive future. Some “oohed.” Some “ahhhed.” Some laughed and walked away, muttering something about a one-time “Star Wars” gimmick assembled to get attention. But GM did not walk away from its concept, initially dubbed the AUTOnomy but later renamed Hy-wire. The automaker has upgraded the vehicle, now called the Sequel, and is parading it around the country. The Sequel made its formal debut at last month’s auto show in Detroit, where GM officials and engineers outlined its array of high-tech features. Practical or not, the vehicle is a technological marvel, and it’s likely that some Sequel features will ultimately make their way into a car you will drive. GM’s AUTOnomy and Hy-wire concepts touted interchangeable bodies; wire connections to control steering, brakes and acceleration, all managed by twisting, squeezing and guiding handles on a steering pod; electric motors; and a fuel cell that converted hydrogen to electricity. GM Sequel attempts to go beyond what turned heads the first time. GM engineers have doubled the vehicle’s range to […]

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Awareness of Energy Star Above 60 Percent

Public awareness of Energy Star has jumped to 64 percent of U.S. households, according to a recent nationwide survey released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In many major markets where local utilities and other organizations use Energy Star to promote energy efficiency to their customers, public awareness of Energy Star is even higher, averaging 74 percent. Other results from the survey reveal that: – Thirty percent of U.S. households selected an Energy Star qualifying product in the past year; – More than 50 percent of households reported being favorably influenced by the Energy Star label; and – More than 70 percent of these households reported they are likely to recommend Energy Star products to their friends. Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through energy efficiency. Since EPA formed a partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) in 1995, the Energy Star program has expanded to more than 40 product categories for homes and offices. Products that have earned the Energy Star designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA and DOE. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, […]

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Investigation Finds Major Corporations Involved in Illegal Logging in Indonesia

Investigations by Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network have confirmed that JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) client BlueLinx (NYSE: BXC), America’s largest building products distributor, is smuggling legally disputed, undocumented timber out of Indonesia’s critically endangered rainforests and flooding the U.S. marketplace with artificially cheap lauan plywood. The conservation community is calling on JP Morgan Chase and BlueLinx to immediately comply with a voluntary corporate embargo of Indonesian forest products already in place at Centex Corporation (NYSE: CTX), International Paper (NYSE: IP) and Lanoga Corporation. Information obtained from U.S. Customs & Border Protection, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, proves that BlueLinx, a former division of Georgia Pacific (NYSE: GP), is knowingly purchasing from eight Indonesian mills that have well-documented histories of trafficking in illegal timber according to the Indonesian Department of Forestry. An IMD case study published on DirtyMoney.org details the trafficking of undocumented wood by current BlueLinx suppliers in Indonesia including Barito Pacific Timber, Decorindo Inti Alam Wood, Kayu Lapis Indonesia, Melapi Timber, Sangkulirang Bhakti, Sumalindo Lestari Jaya, Tunggal Agathis Indah Wood and Tunggal Yudi Sawmill Plywood. On September 2, 2004 BlueLinx filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:February 23, 2005

News and Events DOE Project Leads to New Hydrogen Fueling Station in California DOE Awards $87.5 Million to 12 Vehicle Efficiency Projects EPA Launches Clean Energy Partnerships with 12 States and D.C. Massachusetts Offers $25 Million for Renewable Energy Credits First Hybrid SUV Makes List of Top Twelve Green Vehicles DOE Offers $1 Million to Help Industries Save EnergyEnergy ConnectionsLNG Terminals Move Ahead in the Gulf of Mexico News and Events DOE Project Leads to New Hydrogen Fueling Station in CaliforniaChevronTexaco opened its first hydrogen fueling station in Chino, California, last week, joined by Assistant Secretary of Energy David Garman and representatives of Hyundai-Kia and UTC Fuel Cells. The station is a major part of the DOE’s Hydrogen “Learning Demonstration,” which brings together automobile makers and energy companies to test fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen fueling systems in real-world conditions. Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage SUVs, powered by fuel cells manufactured by UTC Fuel Cells, will operate throughout Southern California and refuel at the ChevronTexaco hydrogen station. The hydrogen is produced on-site from natural gas, but the station will also have the future capability to convert other renewable fuel sources, such as ethanol, into hydrogen for refueling fuel cell vehicles.“On […]

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