Posts Tagged ‘emissions’

How many other car manufacturers can you think of that produce an entire range of cars, from their wheel nuts to their crank-shafts, under just one roof, at one factory? Not many.

Aston Martin sources engine, body and electrical parts from outside the main plant at Gaydon, as does Jaguar. Even Morgan, that most bespoke of car companies, sources one or two components externally, including quite a few trees.

Ferrari 599XX video, pictures and first drive review

At Ferrari, though, everything except the cows that provide the leather is now made at Maranello. Since November, in fact, they’ve even been generating their own electricity in order to power the Scuderia’s various tooling facilities – to the extent that in January Ferrari sold power back to Italy’s National Grid.

As a result, Ferrari now claims that its plant at Maranello produces between 25-30 per cent less CO2 than it did before its new “Trigeneration” system fired up in November – in which mechanical power, heat and cooling are produced by just one source. And that’s real world emissions, by the way, not ones that appear in EU approved documents, and which mean not a great deal in the overall scheme.

Imagine how much less angst would be displayed towards the car industry in general if all cars were created in the same way, with the same efficiency? The green meanies would hardly have a leg to stand on, and us car enthusiasts could carry on enjoying our cars (virtually) guilt free. Even ones like the utterly barking 599XX, on whose launch I discovered all of the above.

A lot of people that using alternative sources of fuel is just fulfilling your environmental duties. Others use such fuel sources to assuage their own conscience. While using alternative fuel sources can definitely fulfil the above two roles, it is just plain good sense and planning to not depend on the rapidly depleting and environmentally degrading fossil fuels that form the backbone of our economy, and our transport system.

You can start off your use of alternative fuels in your daily commute. If you use your feet to commute, either through walking or cycling, you are at a great disadvantage with the rest of the American populace. Not only will you be healthier and fitter, you will also save thousands of dollars on ever increasing fuel costs, while cutting down on your carbon footprint.

Of course, you cannot depend on walking or cycles to take you everywhere. You will require a motorized mode of transport sooner or later. If you can afford one, a hybrid car would be a great investment. Not only are hybrid cars more economical, they are also low polluting. You will also be at a distinct advantage with the rest of the population as fuel prices keep on increasing, and as the country makes the inevitable switch to cars powered by alternative sources of fuel.

Try to use public means of transport as much as you can, especially the local metro which runs on electric power, and thus, gives off zero emissions. Not only is public transport a cost effective means of travel, it is also a great way to do your little bit for the environment and keep at least one car off the already congested roads and highways.

It makes sense to switch over the alternative fuel sources sooner than later. We will all have to switch to greener energy sources one day, so why not today rather than tomorrow?

About the Author

John has been writing online for several years. His late blog is about picture scanners, and how you should go about buying a picture scanner

The people continue to grow more skeptical of global warming

A few weeks ago I attended HybridFest in Madison, WI. While there I experienced some of Wisconsin’s coldest summer days in recorded history. Certainly, such whether isn’t proof that global warming isn’t real, but it does cause pause, especially for those already skeptical of CO2 emissions and their effect upon global warming.

And, as the economy continues to struggle, more polls seem to indicate that public support for fighting global warming is declining. This simply isn’t an issue that is going to unite the people into a positive, forward-thinking movement, at least not today.

Besides, what’s the rush to cap and trade legislation? Other countries that have been more progressive on CO2 limits are largely failing to meet their emissions requirements. Might it not be time to think outside of the box?

For instance, foreign oil dependence is an issue that resonates much more with the people. Of course, that doesn’t mean the people are willing to be taxed more to fight such dependence. Nonetheless, it is an issue that is a far easier to sell to the American public. More important, a serious declaration of war against foreign oil dependence could have a huge effect on CO2 emissions, on igniting innovations in efficient, aka green, technology in a package the people just might buy.

Ultimately, can America really move forward by forcing Americans to act against their beliefs? Might it not be worth rallying America around an issue in which most Americans can believe?

Beholden to the corn lobby?

I am not an ethanol fan. It’s corrosive and inefficient. It’s polluting our water systems, and it probably takes as much energy to produce ethanol as it provides, if not more. And, after many years of massive government subsidies, E85 is still only available at just 2 percent of the nation’s gas stations – mostly in or around Illinois.

Thus, most flex fuel vehicles have never filled up with E85, yet the automakers producing these flex fuel vehicles have received a massive amount of flex fuel credits enabling the sale of a massive amount of gas guzzlers that would have otherwise violated CAFE.

How has that helped reduce CO2 emissions or reduce foreign oil dependency?

Yet, President Obama is now considering a move that would require ALL vehicles to be flex fuel vehicles, at a cost of at least $1 billion per year.

Isn’t it time to take the corn out of politics, and out of the energy paradigm?

[wsj] The European Commissioner telecommunications and technology chief Viviane Reding set out her vision for the next five years Thursday, highlighting four main priorities for telecom reform.

The commissioner was nominated for a third five-year term by her native Luxembourg earlier this week, although it isn’t yet clear whether she will be able to keep the telecom portfolio under a new commission formed in the autumn.

Speaking at a gathering organised by Brussels-based thinktank The Lisbon Council, Reding said her first priority for the next commission would be to create a legal framework to make it easier for consumers to access digital content wherever it is produced in Europe. This would include an E.U.-wide licensing system for copyright and other intellectual property rights in online services and E.U. rules to encourage the digitalization of books, she said.

Another priority would be the creation of a safe system for mobile payments.

“We have more than 500 million mobile users in Europe. This means Europe has the economies of scale that will allow transforming the mobile phone into an electronic wallet,” she said.

Consumers would be able to buy tickets at a train station, sodas from a vending machine or flowers in a shop, she added.

In addition, Europe should encourage small businesses to go digital by creating an E.U. “cloud computing” system, similar to systems that exist in the U.S.

“In Europe we have 23 million small and medium-sized businesses accounting for 100 million jobs,” Reding said. “But only 9% use electronic invoices and only 11% have technology-based human resources management.”

Cloud computing would mean small businesses could download business software from the Internet for a small monthly fee rather than buying it outright and having to upgrade and maintain it.

Another priority, Reding said, was for companies to make better use of digital technology so as to cut their carbon dioxide emissions, for example by using video conferencing instead of air travel.

During her speech, the commissioner also urged E.U. countries to speed up their switchover from analog television broadcasting to digital as a stimulus for economic recovery.

“I call on all EU governments: Don’t wait until 2012, the EU-wide deadline for the final digital switch-off to bring these benefits to businesses and citizens act swiftly now,” she said.

The commissioner has long been an outspoken supporter of the switchover, as it frees up airwaves to be used for other business ventures such as mobile broadband.

The switchover would increase the value of the spectrum by between EUR150 billion and EUR200 billion, she said.

EU Sets Outs Priorities For Future Telecom Reform