House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi filed a mammoth clean energy bill yesterday that would provide loans and grants to municipalities to pursue renewable energy and provide a $2,000 credit for purchasers of hybrid vehicles. The 364-page Green Communities Act would also expedite permitting for the siting of clean energy facilities, provide a $300 credit for businesses to offset the purchase of solar water heaters, and require state government to take steps to cut down on electricity use and set guidelines for energy-conscious state construction projects. DiMasi, touting his bill as the first of its kind in... Read more about "Bill would provide loans, grants for clean energy"...
Michigan residents are not cutting Detroit any slack when it comes to increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing global warming pollution. More than two thirds of Michigan autoworker households (67 percent) and a slightly higher level of all households in the state (72 percent) say that Washington could "help U.S. automakers be more competitive by increasing the federal fuel-efficiency standard to 40 miles per gallon," according to a new Civil Society Institute (CSI)/40MPG.org national opinion poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC). More than four out of five Michigan residents (84 percent) agree that "the U.S. Read more about "Survey: Over two thirds Michigan auto workers support 40 mpg fuel efficiency rule, more climate curbs "...
The Scuderi Group today announced the first ever hybrid power generator technology that it will begin licensing for generator applications ranging from backyard power backups to more industrial power-plant environments. Recent studies show that its break-through air-hybrid internal combustion engine technology can provide significantly increased efficiently levels while dramatically decreasing the level of toxic emissions. Sophisticated computer modeling at a world renowned independent research and testing laboratory, previously done on mobile applications, revealed that in relatively constant load and speed applications - such as a generator - using the Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine Technology in a generator application could... Read more about "Scuderi Group introduces first hybrid power generator "...
EU leaders agreed Friday on a bold set of measures to fight global warming, pledging that a fifth of the bloc's energy will come from green power sources such as wind turbines and solar panels by 2020 and 10 percent of European cars will run on biofuels. At French insistence, the deal - which does not yet include an enforcement mechanism - noted the role atomic energy could play in replacing coal- or oil-fired power plants blamed for pumping out greenhouse gases. The inclusion caused unease for non-nuclear states such as Austria and Ireland and triggered complaints from environmental... Read more about "EU Leaders Agree to Cut Greenhouse Gases"...
Vice president of Sales and Marketing Nick Scuderi just returned from the Society of Automotive Engineers’ Hybrid Symposium held Feb. 7 - 8 in San Diego . Many of the world’s top automakers were on hand to hear presentations and discussions around the latest trends and technology in the hybrid auto industry. Organized by representatives of Honda, Toyota, the California Air Resources Board, and Argonne National Laboratory, the conference covered the latest developments in hybrid technology relating to powertrain and vehicle design, controls and energy management strategies, the environment, and government regulations. The Scuderi Group sponsored an... Read more about "Scuderi Group participates in SAE’s Hybrid Symposium"...
Fuel-saving gasoline-electric hybrid cars don't save as much fuel as thought, according to new government fuel-economy ratings available to the public for the first time. The new ratings go into effect beginning with 2008 models, a few of which will soon be on sale. But now it's possible to tell what rating 2007 and older models would get using the 2008 standards. Toyota's Prius, the best-known and best-selling gas-electric car in the United States, drops from a 60 mpg rating under the current system to 48 miles per gallon in the city under the 2008 testing... Read more about "Report: Electric hybrids don't save as much fuel at thought "...
U.S. sales of gas-electric hybrid vehicles rose 28 percent from 2005 to 2006, but the rate of growth is starting to slow, according to a company that analyzes automotive-industry data. Consumers bought 254,545 hybrids last year as gasoline prices hit $3 a gallon or more for much of the year, up from 199,148 in 2005, according to nationwide auto-registration data compiled by R.L. Polk and released Monday. The rate of growth was the second-slowest since 2000, due in large part to car buyers having more environmentally friendly options, plus expiration of some tax credits on Toyota hybrids, said... Read more about "Hybrid sales still growing, but pace slows"...
The Scuderi Group gathered once again on center court at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Held for the second time since last June, the meeting on February 27 provided members with a full update on the development of the Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine and the general direction of the Scuderi Group, LLC. Sal Scuderi, president of the Scuderi Group (at right), gave progress reports on the key areas of the business, including updates on the developments of the prototypes, licensee talks, technology advances, and financial points. He reviewed ongoing licensee negotiations in Europe, India, Asia, and the U.S. Read more about "Scuderi Group holds semi-annual member’s meeting"...
By Honor Mahony Germany has backed down from a high-profile fight with Brussels over proposed cuts to its greenhouse gas emissions. Environment minister Sigmar Gabriel said Berlin would accept the European Commission's demands for a cut in carbon dixoide emissions between 2008 and 2011, according to German daily die Tageszeitung. "Germany has another basis for its calculations but in the end we are only 2 percent apart," said the minister adding "We will accept this; to make clear also that we stand behind European emissions trading," The commission... Read more about "Germany Backs Down in EU Emissions Fight"...
According to a report in Automobilwoche, the new Volkeswagen CEO, Martin Winterkorn, expects that sales figures of Volkewagen's Hybrid Touran are far too low to be economically viable for the company. The Hybrid Golf Limousine and the Hybrid VW Jetta are also not expected to be profitable, said the report. VW estimates the additional price for a Hybrid engine to be at least Euros 2000. In the highly competitive compact car segment, the report said that VW executives believe that very few customers would be willing to pay this markup. Read more about "VW places the hybrid engine on the test bench"...