California Low Carbon Fuel Standard Could Effectively Ban Corn Ethanol

By a 9-1 vote the California Air Resources Board has voted in support of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. What's more, the standard includes a penalty for the carbon emissions caused by indirect land use changes associated with the production of biofuels. When the regulations take effect in 2011 this is what will be mandated:

The goal of all this is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from California's transportation fuels by 10% by 2020—a reduction of about 16 million tonnes.

Under the regulation, fuels used in California will have to meet an average declining carbon intensity, based on the entire supply chain of the fuel (including greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and farmland conversion). The baseline is set at 96 grams of carbon for megajoule of energy, declining by 10% by 2020. 

Land Use Change Emissions Push Corn Ethanol Past Baseline

It's the inclusion of a penalty for these indirect land use changes into the overall carbon intensity of a particular fuel that has caused controversy: Corn ethanol is already above the baseline at 97 grams of carbon per megajoule, due to a 30 gram penalty assessed for land use changes. 

The biofuel industry in general is predictably displeased with the inclusion of the land-use change penalty. Ethanol producers in particular believe that the science behind the assessment of land-use change impacts was not thoroughly reviewed enough, and that other biofuels were not adequately scrutinized for similar land-use change emissions. 

It was similar concerns regarding the science behind assessment of land-use change penalties that caused dissent on the Board. Dr John Telles said that he could not ignore the comments of 125 scientists who called the model used to assess indirect land-use change emissions "not good enough."

Prior to implementation of the standard, CARB staff will report back to the board on the indirect impacts of other fuels. 

25 More Biofuel Refineries Needed + 3,000 Jobs Created

CARB touts the fact that in order to produce the 1.5 billion gallons of biofuels needed in the state, an additional 25 biofuel production facilities will be required, creating more than 3,000 new jobs, mostly in rural areas. 

What is Ethanol?

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. As a fuel, ethanol can be used in more than 30 flex fuel vehicle models that have been designed to run on alcohol, gasoline, or any combination of the two fuels from the same tank. Most ethanol today is produced from corn or sugar cane, although this will change as cheaper cellulosic ethanol made from fast growing woody grasses and other biomass becomes a reality.

What are Hybrids?

Hybrids combine two or more different propulsion systems, typically a gasoline engine and one or more electric drive motors. Most hybrids on the road today compliment their gas engines by charging a battery when breaking. Engines running on diesel or other alternative fuels can also be used in hybrids. A hybrid drive is fully scalable, which means the drive can be used to power everything from small commuter cars to large buses and even locomotives. Hybrids get more MPG or miles per gallon than most non-hybrids, and usually have very low tailpipe emissions.

Top 5 green saloons

Saloon cars make an ideal solution for many people, from growing families to business executives. Many offer space and pace, but this need not be at the expense of eco-credentials. outlines the Top 5 Green Saloons currently available on the market:

Toyota Prius T3 Hybrid 1.8 VVT-i 5dr with 89g/km CO2 and 72.4mpg
combined.

Lexus CT200h with 94g/km CO2 and 68.9mpg combined.

Honda Insight 1.3 IMA SE 5dr CVT with a mere 101g/km of CO2 and 64.2mpg
on a combined cycle.

Audi A1 1.6 TDi with 105g/km CO2 and 70.6mpg combined.

Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi with 109g/km of CO2 and 67.3mpg combined.

Nissan LEAF reservations Begin April 20

In response to strong consumer demand, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) will begin taking reservations for the Nissan LEAF zero-emission, all-electric vehicle on April 20. The reservation process is a first step in securing a place on the list to purchase or lease a Nissan LEAF. The Nissan LEAF begins rolling out to select markets in December, and will be widely available in 2011.

April 20 also marks the date for the debut of a new website on NissanUSA.com to support the launch of the Nissan LEAF. The website will continue to serve as a resource about the most up-to-date information for the Nissan LEAF, including upcoming special events.

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

MSRP excludes applicable tax, title and license fees. Dealer sets actual price. Prices and specs are subject to change without notice.

Toyota Industries develops solar charging station for PHVs, EVs

Toyota Industries Corp developed a solar charging station for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) and electric vehicles (EVs).The municipal government of Toyota City in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, adopted it, planning to build 21 stations at 11 places such as the municipal office, its branch offices, train stations, etc. The city will start the operation of those charging stations with 20 units of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid in April 2010.The output of the solar panel is 1.9kW, and the capacity of the storage battery is 8.4kWh. The maximum output of the power converter is 3.2kW (AC202V) in grid-connected operation and 1.5kVA (AC101V) in self-sustained operation.The charging station has a solar photovoltaic system and a power storage system and is connected to the grid. The electricity generated from solar power is stored in the power storage system, and vehicles are charged with photovoltaic electricity and electricity from the storage system. When the stored electricity runs out, the grid electricity is used so that vehicles can be stably charged regardless of weather or time of day.On the other hand, when there is extra electricity stored in the power storage system, it is used for the facilities in the station or sold to a utility company. When a disaster occurs, the station can provide photovoltaic electricity and stored electricity to electrical equipment that uses AC100V power.

Toyota unveils FT-CH concept in Detroit

Toyota today unveiled the FT-CH dedicated hybrid concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The FT-CH is a concept that meets Toyota’s strategy to offer a wider variety of full hybrid choices to its customers, in addition to the introduction of plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (EVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets.The CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius. The FT-CH captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in the inner-city environment; sized right to be nimble, responsive and maneuverable. The FT-CH was styled at Toyota’s European Design and Development (ED²) centre in Nice, France. Compared to Prius, it is 22 inches shorter in overall length, yet loses less than an inch in overall width. In spite of its compact external dimensions, FT-CH was designed for maximum passenger comfort and interior roominess, with an imaginative sense of style.ED² designers looked to capture the vivid, high-energy appeal of what has come to be called the 8-bit generation. Popularized in the early 80’s, 8-bit microprocessor technology dominated the budding home video game industry. Today, 8-bit is considered a specific retro-style that is embraced by such things as 8-bit genre music and 8-bit inspired art. The direct reference to the 8-bit generation is meant to be fun and innovative, colourful and stylish, with strong appeal to young buyers. Lighter in weight and even more fuel efficient than Prius, the concept specifically targets a lower price point than Prius, thus appealing to a younger, less-affluent buyer demographic. In the early 2010s, Toyota plans to sell a million hybrids per year globally, a majority of those in North America. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch eight all new hybrid models in the USA over the next few years*. These will not include next generation versions of current hybrids; instead, they will be all new dedicated hybrid vehicles, or all new hybrid versions of existing petrol engine models.Toyota also plans to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (EVs) to global markets in 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015.
* Eight new hybrid models to be introduced into USA market