Study: Energy usage attributable to electric vehicles could rise 1,700% by 2020— Autoblog Green

Energy usage attributable to electric vehicles could soar 1,700 percent by 2020, according to a report authored by utility consulting firmThe Shpigler Groupand released by theUtilities Telecom Council(UTC), the so-called"voice of critical infrastructure communications."Annual megawatt-hour (MWh) usage from plug-in vehicles could swell from only 146,000 in 2010 to 2.6 million by 2020, the report notes. This, according to UTC, raises a host of technological and operational issues for the nation's electric utilities, particularly when it comes to modernizing and upgrading the U.S.' dated infrastructure.

The report,"Gearing Up for Electric Vehicles: Tackling the EV Challenges to the Smart Grid,"notes that the forecasted surge in plug-in vehicles could lead to a 61-fold annual reduction in CO2 emission. While that's a remarkable reduction, the report doesn't provide adequate info to determine if it's even remotely close to accurate.

UTC says that to accommodate this game-changing shift in electricity usage, a number of issues must be addressed, including improved battery performance, advancements in vehicle-to-grid technology that can utilize a vehicle's battery as a grid storage device and infrastructure innovations that support the peak load changes that plug-ins will undoubtedly introduce to the nation's grid. That's a lot of work that needs to be completed by 2020, but almost anything is possible, right?

Photo by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright©2010 AOL

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Ecotality installs 1,000th Blink Level 2 residential charging station— Autoblog Green

On Monday,Ecotalityannounced that it had completed the installation of its 1,000th Blink Level 2 residential charging station, marking a significant milestone in the deployment of plug-in vehicle chargers in the U.S. Installations of Blink residential charging stations began in early 2011, coinciding with the delivery of vehicles like theNissan Leafand theChevrolet Volt.

On a related note, Ecotality recently added Macy's department stores to its list of commercial partners, which includesBP/Arco,Best Buy,Cracker BarrelandFred Meyer.

Ecotality is project manager ofThe EV Projectand will oversee the installation of approximately 14,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 18 major cities and metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The massive EV Project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant of $114.8 million, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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Consumer Reports says now's not the time to buy a hybrid vehicle— Autoblog Green

Toyota Prius versus a sheep– Click above to enlarge

Despite the fact that the national average price of gasolinehit $4 a gallon last week, Jeff Bartlett,Consumer Reportsdeputy online automotive editor, says that now's the worst time to buy a hybrid vehicle. Why's that? Well, as Bartlett explains, many owners of gas-guzzling SUVs are ditching their rides in favor of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Therefore, the values of behemoth SUVs are declining, while prices for hybrids and other fuel-sipping vehicles are on the rise due to soaring demand.

In an interview withHybrid Cars, Bartlett stated:

The best advice for a fair portion of people is to think through the long-term picture and hold {on} to a gas-guzzler for next few months.Buying a hybrid can quickly pay itself off. But those economic benefits are undermined when buying your hybrid at the exact moment when hybrids are in greatest demand, and when trading in your less-efficient vehicle is the least desirable.

That makes sense, right? While Bartlett is not saying that hybrids aren't worth the additional upfront investment, he is implying that now's not the ideal time to trade in a gas-guzzler for a fuel-sipping automobile. Of course, filling up at $4 a gallon doesn't mean it's the worst time, either.

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Majority of Americans want 62 mpg CAFE standards; automakers don't— Autoblog Green

It's easy to find examples of ways Americans disagree on politics (just turn on any cable news channel right now) but here's a curious case of the majority agreeing on one important point: 62 percent of Americans support an increase in the average fuel economy mandate in the U.S. to 60 miles per gallon by 2025.

That's aroung the level currently under loose discussion in Washington (which is 62 mpg), and the strong, bi-partisan support is the finding of a survey released today by the Consumer Federation of America, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation under commission. The current CAFE rules, announced in April 2010, require35 mpg by 2016.

Thereisone group that's against the 60+ mpg level, though: automakers. As formerGMvice chair Bob Lutztold us the other daywhen talking about a CAFE increase that wasn't quite 62 mpg,"Nobody knows how to do a full-line fleet with the equivalent of 42 miles per gallon. That's ain'tgonnahappen.com."More broadly, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents many major automakers, asked the Obama administration tonot consider a 62 mpg standarduntil more studies on this level's impact on the industry are completed. It warned that such a high level might negatively affect safety, sales and jobs.

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Edmunds lists most, least fuel-efficient sporty vehicles— Autoblog Green

2011 Mini John Cooper Works package– Click above for high-res image gallery

Question: can sporty vehicles be fuel efficient? Answer: yes. Recently, the team over atEdmunds Auto Observercompiled a list of some of the most and least fuel-efficient sporty vehicles available. Surprisingly, there's a monstrous gap (of $165) between the lowest and highest monthly fuel costs (computed with gasoline at $3.96 a gallon) for vehicles in the"sporty"category.

Coming out on top, with the lowest estimated monthly fuel costs for sporty vehicles, was theMini Cooper($165), followed closely by the Mini Cooper convertible ($169), Mini Cooper S ($174) and the Mini Cooper with the John Cooper Works package ($186). Notice a trend? Slotting into fifth place was theVolkswagen GTIwith six-speed automatic transmission ($195). Down at the bottom of the chart, with estimated monthly fuel costs of $330, was theChevrolet Corvette ZR1andBMW M3.

Obviously, the performance of vehicles in Edmunds' broadly defined sporty segment varies dramatically but it still provides interesting reading. Clickherefor a look at the complete list.

Gallery:2011 Mini John Cooper Works Package

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Video: Electric Aero Train soars to 124 mph, floats inches above road— Autoblog Green

Hovering Aero Train– Click above to watch videoafter the jump

A Japanese research team led by Yusuke Sugahara at Tohoku University has built a robotic prototype of a free-flying,ground-effects vehiclethat sort of floats within inches of the road. Called Aero Train, this ground-effects vehicle will be used to test an autonomous three-axis stabilization system.

Packing electric motors, the Aero Train hovers inches above the tarmac, eliminating any rolling resistance and allowing it to hit a top speed of 124 mph. A U-shaped concrete channel controls air flow and provides the Aero Train's robotic controls with a makeshift road to follow. On-board computers control pitch, roll and yaw of the prototype.

In the future– get this– the developers envision the Aero Train traveling within a tunnel capped with solar panels that send juice directly to the vehicle's batteries.Hit the jumpto catch video of the prototype Aero Train floating down the road.

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Scuderi split-cycle engine decreases 2011 Nissan Sentra's fuel consumption by up to 35%— Autoblog Green

Scuderi Group,an engineering and licensing company based in West Springfield, MA, has released fuel consumption results of a computer study that modeled the effects of variousScuderi Split-Cycle(SSC) prototype engine designs, including turbocharged andair-hybrid, in a2011 Nissan Sentra. The computer tests simulated Federal Test Procedure-75 (FTP-75) for each of Scuderi's engines and preliminary results show that a decrease in fuel consumption of up to a 35 percent was achievable when Scuderi's Split-Cycle air-hybrid engine replaced the Sentra's standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder mill.

The primary purpose of the study was to examine one fundamental question: how fuel efficient are Scuderi's engines? According to Scuderi, this question has been difficult to answer because it's dependent on the type vehicle and the route driven. However, with the computer study attempting to model real-world driving, Scuderi believes that it's one step closer to definitively getting a fundamental answer.

Scuderi Group will provide in-depth details on the results of the 2011 Nissan Sentra study at the Engine Expo 2011 in Stuttgart, Germany in mid-May.

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