“I think the internal combustion engine will disappear from the streets of our cities in the next thirty years because transportation will be mass transportation, or probably electrical power.” — Gaylord Nelson, April 1990[1]

Unless something really amazing happens in the next (more…)

A new report on the sales of hybrids and electric cars indicate June saw a surge of 164 percent. According to Kelley Blue Book’s Blue Book Market Report for July 2012, sales have remained strong, which is atypical in periods following a fuel price peak like the one in March. Lexus CT200h, for instance, saw sales grow 500 percent year-on-year. (more…)

It’s the 109th anniversary of the first sale made by the Ford Motor Company: a Model A. From that moment, the concept of automobile ownership grew steadily and rapidly in importance in the American psyche; in fact, it expanded to the point that many people felt that their car made a more important statement than their home, their education, or anything else about them. (more…)

In a few weeks, we’ll come upon the four-year anniversary of when candidate Barack Obama proposed that America put 1 million plug-in electric vehicles on our roads by 2015. Even before the sale of the first Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf, most observers knew that hitting the seven-figure mark by 2015 was more aspirational than an actual goal. Recent sales numbers for EVs (more…)

The U.S. Navy this week held military exercises in the Pacific Ocean that used an expensive blend of biofuels and conventional fuels to power 71 aircraft and three warships, part of an ongoing effort by the Navy to develop alternative fuels for its global operations.

The so-called “Great Green Fleet” initiative is a top (more…)

An airport may not seem like the most obvious platform to deploy sweeping smart energy upgrades. Globally, airports represent only a fraction of the building infrastructure worldwide – accounting for around 1 percent of commercial square footage globally, according to Pike Research’s Global Building Stock Database report. (more…)

The European Union has introduced strict new auto emissions standards that officials say would cut carbon dioxide emissions by a third by 2020. The new standard, which must be approved by all member states and the European Parliament, would require that new passenger cars emit no more than 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer driven, (more…)

While escalating conversations on topics such as climate change, carbon legislation, energy independence, and growing consumer eco awareness generate forward eco movement for some it simultaneously creates confusion and skepticism for others. To address these complex issues, it’s going to take all of us demonstrating eco awareness in our (more…)

New electric vehicles are improving, but can technology catch up to consumers’ demands?

I have three small children who each have a car seat, I live in the city and I coach tee-ball two nights a week. I would love an electric vehicle (EV) to help carry my load, but the realities of my life, as well as the state of the EV market, make it, in a word … difficult. (more…)

One of the biggest hurdles to getting more plug-in electric vehicles on the road has been a lack of charging infrastructure – but America may have many more charging options than previously thought.

Of all U.S. households that own at least one car, an estimated 49.6 million housing units (49 percent of all (more…)