Chasing Clean Air

2010 Green Car Goes To Audi at Los Angeles Auto Show

The environment "brand" is rising again at L.A.'s Auto Show Dec. 4-13 at the LA Convention Center where Audi's A3 TDI takes "green" prize dethroning Toyota's Prius.

Blogging from Honda Insight On iPhone

I just wanted to add last post and photo was written, photographed and published on my iPhone. And so was this. Overheard in line: This line is for Lopez, can't let you through gate til boat is unloaded and everyone goes through customs, give me that bag... Okay time to board.  

2010 Honda Insight EX Goes To Clean Air Orcas Island

"Comfortable head, neck and back support, everything at my fingertips, it really feels like a combination between the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Prius but very sporty. It has Honda Civic navigation and a similar body to the Prius." Arna said when I asked her how it felt to drive the 2010 Honda Insight EX with navigation that I picked up at Seatac. We left wet Seattle for Anacortes where we wait in the car lane for Washington State Ferry to Orcas Island. We're about to board. 

Honda Insight was loaned for review.

Clean Air Activities in Los Angeles Saturday October 3, 2009

This Saturday Oct. 3, 2009 there's a lot happening in Los Angeles toward increasing awareness of clean and dirty air.

You might start your day in Burbank at The American Lung Association of Southern California healthy air walk. If you'd like to donate your time or money and learn more, click here.

Then head out to Santa Monica, assuming a tsunami didn't hit Santa Monica hard... very slight chance after 8.0 earthquake in Samoa today. This evening I'm aware there were evacuations in Santa Monica just in case.

Congratulations to Chip Jacobs and William Kelly authors of Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles who will receive the 2009 Green Prize for Sustainable Literature at Santa Monica Library's Green Award Presentation on Saturday, October 3 at 1:00 p.m. 

4th Annual Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo - Santa Monica, CA

Rev your engines. Push the pedal to the metal. And get ready for the 4^th Annual Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo!

 

Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo

Presented by the City of Santa Monica

Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, 2009 --10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Santa Monica Civic Center, 1885 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90401

The show continues to offer FREE admission, while featuring top speakers and noted  within the green and transportation industries. Parking is $8.00.

GM Steps Up Alternative Fuel & New Technology Investments for Hybrids and Chevy Volt

On February 17, GM presented the United States Department of Treasury with an updated viability plan that boldly responds to the weaker global auto market conditions and details the company's long-term viability.

In the U.S., GM will focus on its core brands; Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.

Obama on Stimulus Plan, Green Jobs & A Clean Energy Economy

President Obama's flashing million dollar smile lit up a town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana where he explained his stimulus plan that includes billions for green jobs, and creating a clean energy economy.

The plan doubles production of renewable energy, creates money for battery technology to move cars and RVs to the next generation of plug-in hybrids, which will lessen greenhouse gases, and the weatherization of millions of homes that will create jobs, train young people as apprentices, and lower energy costs of home-owners and the country.

A solar company owner based in Indiana asked Obama how he will help small renewable energy owners work with utilities so both prosper.

Obama referenced California utilities as a potential benchmark, which I'll look into more as a firestorm seems to be stirring around Measure B, the solar initiative that LA DWP--Los Angeles power company--is involved with.

Obama said we need to create a renewable energy standard to grow the sector. We should provide tax credits and loan guarantees to renewable energy companies. We have some, and others coming due. We need to work with utilities to they make money by encouraging energy conservation and creating a system whereby if a customer has solar panels on their roof, they can sell energy back to grid.

He closed the energy discussion saying he wants to improve research and development on solar and wind that are still more expensive than fossil fuels, and, "the country that creates cheaper energy that is also clean will be the most powerful and I want that country to be America."

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Obama opens door for states to regulate vehicle emissions. Hello, California!

Regulating vehicle emissions is being considered along with climate change by Obama's team. Schwarzenegger applauded Obama's administration, which acknowledges that states like California should be able to make laws to protect a child's right to breathe clean air.

"Washington was asleep at the wheel regarding the environment," Schwarzenegger said, referring to a 2007 a California waiver to cut global gas emissions and regulate car manufacturers. The waiver was denied by the EPA under Bush because car manufacturers lobbied against it.

China's BYD Ahead of the Clean Car Curve

Just when China thought it couldn't take another blow being called the newest and biggest CO2 spoiler in the world, building too many coal-power plants, this week China's BYD Co. announced the word's first mass-produced plug-in electric vehicle.

Warren Buffett is one of BYD's investors.

Getting 62 miles on one charge, BYD is currently ahead of GM and Toyota's plug-in electric clean car curve.

Like anything new, they're still working on building recharging facilities fast enough but they're coming, too. 

In order to get clean air, we (China, America, The World) need to stop with coal, and keep clean cars and renewable energy coming. 

Driving the Altima Hybrid

The Altima Hybrid is part of an important emerging family of clean cars. It utilizes a technology that promises to help us eventually get off fossil fuels while being kinder to our air. 

I drove the comfortable four door sedan Altima Hybrid roundtrip from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

The Altima Hybrid was a smooth ride and gas mileage was superb!! I believe better than the 33 mpg on freeways as advertised. Round-trip Los Angeles to San Francisco and driving in-between cost less than $50 at 1.91 a gallon. It was extremely comfy, even luxurious, especially considering the long drive. 

I wanted to love it and, mostly, I did.

Let's start the engine.

I turned on the car by holding a key near the ON switch and pushed. The car starts so quietly that if you didn't know this was normal for a hybrid, you'd think the car wasn't on.

I backed up by looking at a picture in the dashboard that showed me exactly where my car was in relationship to anything in my way.  This was super handy when backing out of my mom's garage in San Francisco where space is limited and you must be careful not to scratch your car. Even in the tightest spaces, with the Altima Hybrid I wasn't concerned.

Driving was a dream.

The Altima Hybrid was strong, sturdy, and hugged the roads really well, and made me feel safe. Enjoyable too, with a great stereo system. I listened to XM radio the whole trip.

When you're driving, the car is quiet too.

I pulled into the toll booth at the Golden Gate bridge, and the toll-taker, who leaned over her book, didn't hear me and kept reading.