Monthly Archives: February 2007

Boomers start conserving, again

Posted on February 28, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Americans, who make up about 5 percent of the world’s population, are responsible for 45 percent of the world’s carbon emissions from cars and light trucks. The generation, born in the years between the end of World War II and … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, History | Leave a comment

Electric car parts in Dover

Posted on February 26, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Dean Crumbling, of Dover, has been dabbling in electric cars for the past 30 years. Years ago, he built a working electric car out of a wrecked 1970 Toyota. He currently drives a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid with a CVT. … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Electric, Innovation | Leave a comment

Hybrid traction in snow

Posted on February 25, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Anyone have a bad experience with an electric hybrid in snow? I keep seeing stories pop up like, Prius Stalls in Snow; Owners Steamed. I don’t have any experience with driving Toyota’s Synergy in the snow. My hybrid car is … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Hybrid | Leave a comment

New EPA mileage figure test run

Posted on February 24, 2007 by paul kuehnel

The EPA has given us a taste of the new, supposedly more realistic mileage figures, that will be adopted with 2008 vehicles by showing what current models would get under the new standard. Remember, a 20% drop in mileage in … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, MPG | Leave a comment

The Corncob Car…

Posted on February 21, 2007 by paul kuehnel

…uses carbon briquettes made from corncobs to store methane, the main component in natural gas, at a density of 180 times their volume and at one seventh the pressure of conventional methane gas tanks. The storage system is the first … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start | Leave a comment

Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Expo

Posted on February 20, 2007 by paul kuehnel

The Harford Community College’s Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Expo will be held April 13-14 from 9 AM – 4 PM. Exhibits will include Energy Efficient Vehicles – Fuel Cell, Biodiesel & Hybrid; Energy Efficiency and Green Building Design; Solar Hot Water, … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Biodiesel, Hybrid, Innovation, Oil Machine/politics, Public Transportation, Solar, Wind Power | Leave a comment

Vanpooling Band-Aids

Posted on February 19, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Pay out of pocket or pay higher taxes. Rabbittransit will not be able to start an express bus service to Maryland right now because of the statewide transit funding crisis, but it hopes to offer the next best thing: vanpooling. … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start | Leave a comment

Coal fired B-52 bombers

Posted on February 17, 2007 by paul kuehnel

No…the Monitor and the Merrimack, with their steam boilers, haven’t been adapted to fly. The Airforce is testing a synthetic fuel blend that could be made domestically from coal or natural gas as they seek to wean its dependence on … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Fischer-Tropsch fuel, Innovation | Leave a comment

GM Pickup hybrid to be built in Canada

Posted on February 13, 2007 by paul kuehnel

GM of Canada announced today that its Oshawa Truck Assembly Plant will be the first plant in Canada to produce hybrid vehicles. The new Two-Mode Hybrid Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra is scheduled for sale in the fall of 2008.

Posted in All posts from the start, Hybrid | Leave a comment

Electric VW commutes to Dulles

Posted on February 13, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Mike Harvey of Knoxville, MD converted a 92 gasoline powered VW Cabriolet to electric with parts available to anyone with the desire to build one. Designed for a range of 70-80 miles per charge; the car has enough range to … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Electric, Innovation | Leave a comment

Fat people cause Honda hybrid recall

Posted on February 12, 2007 by paul kuehnel

The problem apparently is that the weight of a passenger on the rear seat backrest could bend the wiring terminal, potentially damaging the insulation and causing the short (in the converter). http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/02/honda_to_recall.html See Honda recalling Civic Hybrid sedan

Posted in All posts from the start | Leave a comment

Toyota rolls out the red carpet for Prius buyers

Posted on February 10, 2007 by paul kuehnel

When I purchased a hybrid in December 2004, I steered away from the Toyota Prius for one simple reason. I hate demand hype. Waiting lists, dealer demands, price premiums – Ug!

Posted in All posts from the start, Hybrid | Leave a comment

Honda recalling Civic Hybrid sedan

Posted on February 9, 2007 by paul kuehnel

(Tokyo-AP) _ Honda plans to recall more than 45,000 Civic Hybrid sedans manufactured between September of 2005 and September of 2006. to repair a voltage converter defect that could stop the car’s engine.

Posted in All posts from the start, Hybrid | Leave a comment

Chevy Acadia can’t drive off-road in Acadia

Posted on February 8, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Perhaps in honor of our National Parks, General Motors has named their new SUV-like crossover, the Acadia, (17/25 mpg) in honor of the Maine treasure – following in the footsteps of their other trucks and SUV’s like the GMC Denali, … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Oil Machine/politics | 1 Comment

Ethanol production: more cost than benefit

Posted on February 5, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Interesting article on the ethanol machine that is building steam… we desperately need a hero. Increasing corn-ethanol gives you MORE pesticide contamination, MORE drilling for gas, MORE air pollution from E85 & refineries, MORE greenhouse gasses as they move to … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Ethanol, Oil Machine/politics | Leave a comment

Home Heat and Efficiency: Part V – go with the flow

Posted on February 2, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Early experiments with steam heating sometimes ended with disastrous results. However, by the late 19th century, steam heat was quite commonplace and had great acceptance. Between fear and function came the fascinating world of gravity flow hot water systems which … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, Home Heat/Efficiency | Leave a comment

One creature’s greatest profit is another’s lingering oily death

Posted on February 1, 2007 by paul kuehnel

Exxon Mobil’s $10.4 billion second-quarter profit, announced today, was the second-best quarterly performance ever for a publicly traded company. (AP/MSNBC) According to a study out Feb. 15 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, scientists from the National Oceanic and … Continue reading →

Posted in All posts from the start, History, Oil Machine/politics | Leave a comment