honda

Hydrogen Energy on Its Way?

khallgeisler — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Hydogen fuel cells have been touted as the fuel of the future. In the plus column, it's not petroleum, and the tailpipe emissions come out as everybody's friend H2O, or water. In the minus column, the technology is new and relatively untested, and the infrastructure is sparse: L.A., D.C., and New York are the only metro areas with hydrogen filling stations. So where does that leave the rest of us?

Though momentum is gathering behind plug-in electric vehicles and straight electric cars, manufacturers aren't putting all their eggs in one EV basket. At last week's lunch in Seattle, GM bigwig Bob Lutz opened his remarks by reminding us of Project Driveway, which has put over 100 hydrogen-powered Chevy Equinox SUVs in the hands of drivers.

Honda has released a small fleet of its FCX Clarity hydrogen-powered cars to consumers in Southern California this summer. This car looks Civic-like, but it only comes in one color (thankfully, not green. That would be too obvious). Like the GM EV-1, star of the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car," the Clarity can only be leased, for $600 a month. Basically, Clarity drivers are paying for the privilege of performing Honda's long-term testing.

BMW has the Hydrogen 7, its "luxury performance sedan" powered by fuel cells. This car isn't yet on the market, but the company has made 20 of them available as loaners to movers and shakers like Jay Leno, Edward Norton, Jason Bateman, Will Ferrell, Joely Fischer, and Brad Pitt. I'm not holding my breath for my turn; I recommend you don't, either.

A quick primer on what makes these cars go: The hydrogen circulates through a cell that splits it into positive ions and negative electrons. The electrons create an electrical current that powers the motor. The hydrogen ions combine with oxygen from the air to form water, which is channeled out of the fuel cell. It's probably not potable, but it's way better than what comes out of your tailpipe now.

Attention Bargain Shoppers: Top 10 Green Brands!

Julia — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:46:11 -0400

According to advertising conglomerate WPP, these are the top ten green brands to be on the look out for.

These results are based on 1,504 online interviews in the U.S. and 1,525 interviews in the U.K. Do you think they’re accurate? Any others you would like to contribute to the bunch?

1. Whole Foods – natural and organic grocery store (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/).

2. Wild Oats – natural and organic grocery store, now merged with Whole Foods.

3. Trader Joe’s – specialty retail grocery store featuring organic and natural foods (http://www.traderjoes.com/).

4. Toyota – Japanese multinational corporation; currently the world’s largest automaker (http://www.toyota.com/).

5. Honda – Japanese multinational corporation, engine manufacturer and engineering corporation (http://www.honda.com/).

6. Sub Zero – the industry leader of built-in refrigerators, freezers and wine storage (http://www.subzero.com/).

7. Ikea – a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, bathrooms and kitchens at retail stores around the world (http://www.ikea.com/).

8. Body Shop – The Body Shop is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world and has over 2,000 stores in more than 50 countries (http://www.thebodyshop.com).

9. General Electric – a multinational American technology and services conglomerate that is the world's third largest company (http://www.ge.com/).

10. Aveda – a company headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, that manufactures skin care, cosmetics, perfume and hair care products, and trains students in cosmetology, and esthiology at the Aveda Institute (http://www.aveda.com/).

Top Ten Scooters Part One: Gasoline

khallgeisler — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Two weeks ago, a carless friend of mine sent me an instant message. She was tired of relying on public transportation every day; could I help her find a good scooter? Two days ago, another friend of mine who owns two cars sent me an instant message. He was sick of paying so much for gas; could I help him find a good scooter? But of course.

I figured if a public-transportation lover and an editor at a sports car magazine were interested in scooters, a lot of people likely were in the same boat. Here, then, are my top five picks for gas-saving scooters. I'll list the five ultimate gas savers, electric scooters, in Part Two.

Note: Mileage and prices are guidelines for shopping, not written in stone.

Vespa (old-school): The scooter that started it all is still going strong. If you're a fan of "Quadrophenia" or "Roman Holiday," this is the scooter you love. It's a good choice for tinkerers, collectors, and people who love wrenching. It is not a good choice for first-timers or people who want the reliability of a Camry. Mileage and price vary wildly, depending on state of repair.

Vespa (new-school): Still solid, still quality, but no longer so fussy, brand-spanking-new Vespas have automatic transmissions and style to spare. They're also spendier than most other scooters, so you're paying as much for the badge are you are the build. 72 mpg; starts at $4,199.

Piaggio MP3: This new scooter from Vespa's parent company is a departure from the norm: it has three wheels, two of which are in front. The wheels are close together and designed to tilt with the rider for exceptional stability. The radical design has won over most testers, though it has far more power than scooter newbies would require. Starts at $7,199.

Kymco People: Full disclosure -- I've been riding a Kymco People 50 scooter since 2002, and I love it. The tires are larger than most scooters, which lends a feeling of stability. It's made in Taiwan, so the gauges are in metric, but there's a gas guage and clock, which are nice. 88 mpg; starts at $2,599.

Honda Metropolitan: By far the cutest scooter on the market, with lots of colors and even patterns to choose from. It's small, but it has a four-stroke engine, making it cleaner than the two-stroke scooters out there. Great for city streets. Owners report getting 100+ mpg; starts at $1,899.

Image courtesy of Piaggio.

Honda's New Hybrid To Do Battle with Prius

khallgeisler — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Gas prices have risen so high -- thanks to oil prices being over $130 a barrell -- that Honda decided to rethink its hybrid program, which to date has exactly one model: the Civic. Why bother to put a hybrid in a small, inexpensive car that already gets 34 mpg on the highway? Because people will buy it, that's why.

After last month's sales numbers, car makers seem to have gotten the message. Buyers want smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. And if there's a hybrid on board, all the better. Honda heard the message loud and clear, then rolled out its plans to have a four-car hybrid lineup by 2015: the Civic; the Fit; the sporty CRZ; and, as early as next year, a hybrid-only model Honda hopes will knock the Prius from its high and mighty (and million-selling) perch.

The unnamed hybrid will debut in 2009 to do head-to-head battle with the Prius. Like Toyota's best-selling hybrid, this car would be a five-door sedan available only with a hybrid powerplant, but Honda head honcho Takeo Fukui wouldn't say how much it would cost. No name, no price ... sounds vague, though it will likely be based, looks-wise, on the company's Clarity hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicle.

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars: Save Gas, Save Money

susan — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:05:20 -0400

Here are 10 cars that might just make driving a not--so-guilty pleasure again. The only way you can get closer to a free ride is to bike. You may be surprised to find that hybrids are not the only winners on this list of the 10 most fuel-efficient cars currently on the market, ranked and tested by Consumer Reports.

Toyota Prius Base (Overall Miles Per Gallon 44)
Toyota Prius Touring (42)
Honda Civic Hybrid (37)
Toyota Camry Hybrid (34)
Toyota Yaris Base (manual) (34)
Honda Fit Sport (manual) (34)
Toyota Yaris Base (33)
Nissan Altima Hybrid (32)
Honda Fit Base (32)
Honda Civic EX (manual) (31)

Is all that not good enough for you?

Want to drive even longer for less?

Then watch out for the extreme hybrid -- a plug-in hybrid SUV that gets 150 miles per gallon – and could be hitting the market before too long. It is being developed by AFS Trinity Power of Bellevue, Wash., which showed off a prototype at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

For more information, check out:

15 Tips For Better Mileage -- Want to Get 70 MPG in Your Toyota Prius?

The Hype About Hypermiling

Two Wheels Are Greener Than Four

Honda Civic GX Tops List of Greenest Cars

Driving Green = Fewer Greenbacks

Five Tips to Find the Cheapest Gas Near You

Record Month For Selling Gas -- Saving Cars Getting Better Than 30 MPG