Fuel and Economy

2009 Chevrolet Traverse's Wind-Cheating Design Helps It Deliver Expected Segment-Best Fuel Economy

admin — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:55:09 +0000

Form Enhances Function

DETROIT, 2008-06-24 – Besides its bowtie insignia, the all-new Traverse crossover shares something important with Chevy’s midsize cars: an exceptional aerodynamic drag coefficient (cd) that enables great fuel economy. Its cd is only 0.33 – making it the sleekest crossover in the segment.

2009 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ

When it hits showrooms this fall, the Traverse is expected to have the segment’s best highway fuel economy (EPA certification is pending). This is because of its new, efficient 3.6L V-6 with direct injection technology, a fuel-saving six-speed automatic transmission and an exterior designed to cheat the wind and slip through the air with minimal resistance.

BorgWarner's Breakthrough Turbo Technology Improves Diesel Emissions, Paves the Way for Clean Diesels in the USA

admin — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:03:28 +0000

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 19, 2008 -- Building on the success of variable turbine geometry (VTG(TM)) turbochargers and regulated two-stage (R2S(R)) turbocharging systems, the experts at BorgWarner (NYSE: BWA) have achieved another ground-breaking advancement in air management technology, designing a turbocharger that can withstand the harsh environment created by low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems to meet the world's strictest emissions standards. The company expects to see the technology introduced in the U.S. in 2008 on diesel imports from two European automakers.

Ford's New Hi-Tech Gearbox Blends the Best of Automatic and Manual

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:39:08 +0000

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 23 June, 2008 – Ford Motor Company has added a high-tech new automatic transmission to its line-up, one which achieves the fuel economy of a manual gearbox but with the comfort and convenience of a normal auto.

2008 Ford Focus

Highlights:
* Efficiency of a six-speed manual with the convenience of an auto
* As light and sporty as a manual gearbox
* Available on Ford Focus and Ford C-MAX
* On-the-road prices from £18,195

Ford Motor Company Invitation to UK Motorists to Test Green Driving Skills, Save on Fuel Costs

admin — Fri, 23 May 2008 09:17:43 +0000

Ford ECOnetic Smart Driving Challenge launched with Energy Saving Trust at Eden Project's 'Sexy Green Car Show'

EDEN PROJECT, Cornwall, 22 May, 2008 – Ford Motor Company and the Energy Saving Trust today announced a nationwide smart driving challenge to find the UK's greenest motorist. Smart driving techniques deliver environmental, financial and safety benefits through reduced fuel consumption and a smoother driving style designed to reduce wasteful acceleration and braking.

Ford's ECOnetic range of low CO2 models, showcased at this year's 'Sexy Green Car Show', will go on to regional smart driving events this summer.

Emerson Fittipaldi Participates in Ethanol Summit at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

admin — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:47:44 +0000

2008-05-21 -- Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, ethanol refiner and driver of the Corvette Z06 Indy 500 pace car powered by E85 Ethanol for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500, Emerson Fittipaldi participated in the third annual Ethanol Summit and panel discussion held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 22, 2008.

Participants in the Ethanol Summit included:

* Joie Chitwood, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Welcome to the Speedway
* Andy Miller, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (Taped remarks for broadcast) - Indiana Ethanol Industry

This Week In Petroleum: Memorial Day Gasoline Prices

admin — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:42:24 +0000

May 21, 2008 -- Despite cool weather along the East Coast over the past several weeks, Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to the summer driving season is upon us. Some may interpret recent increases in gasoline prices as yet another manifestation of a long-standing tendency for gasoline prices to rise dramatically in the days before the holiday weekend.

The numbers from the last few years do not, however, support this view. Daily gasoline prices from the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Fuel Gauge Report show that prices have actually fallen slightly in the week preceding the Memorial Day holiday over the past four years (2004-2007), after having risen earlier in the month of May.

Gasoline Prices Tend to Decrease in the Days Before Memorial Day

USDA Finds Ethanol Not a Major Factor in Food Price Increase

admin — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:33:22 +0000

Omaha, Neb., May 2008 – The following is a statement by Toni Nuernberg, executive director of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC):

"The total global increase in corn-based ethanol production accounts for only 3 percent of the recent increase in global food prices. This according to a statement from Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer in which he noted ethanol is not having a “major” impact on food prices.

After the hype, hysteria and spin of the ongoing “food and fuel” debate, these facts from the Council of Economic Advisors provide further proof the ethanol industry has been made a scapegoat for global issues beyond our control.

OPEC Secretary General Abdalla Salem El-Badri Visits Venezuela

admin — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:18:21 +0000

Caracas, Venezuela, May 21, 2008 -- Abdalla Salem El-Badri, OPEC Secretary General, who is currently on a week long working visit to the two OPEC Member Countries in Latin America, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Republic of Ecuador, was on Tuesday granted audience by President Hugo Chavez Frias, in Caracas. The meeting covered a number of topics, including the current oil market situation, the positive relationship between Venezuela and the OPEC Secretariat, and a follow up on some of the issues contained in the three Declarations of OPEC Heads of State and Government which were adopted in Algiers (1975), Caracas, (2000) and Riyadh (2007).

Clean Diesel Technology Wins Challenge X

admin — Thu, 22 May 2008 10:27:57 +0000

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008 -- Clean diesel technology powered the top three winning vehicles and 12 of 17 entries overall in a national engineering competition known as Challenge X to design the green cars of the future.

Smooth Powershift Gearbox Cuts Fuel Consumption by 8% in the Volvo C30, Volvo S40 and Volvo V50

admin — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:55:53 +0000

May 13, 2008 -- The two-litre turbodiesel version of the 2008 Volvo C30, Volvo S40 and Volvo V50 is now also available with a fully-automatic transmission. This new Powershift transmission is a six-speed unit and it significantly cuts fuel consumption compared with a conventional automatic transmission.

2008 Volvo C30

"According to our calculations, Powershift contributes to a fuel consumption saving of about eight percent compared with a conventional automatic transmission," says Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President, Research & Development, Volvo Cars.