plugincars.com -- We are quickly approaching the launch dates of the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt—the first two globally-distributed and mass-market plug-in cars the world has ever seen. As the public's attention shifts to the battery-powered drive-train and its perceived shortcomings, the question of how long it will take to charge the battery has rightly taken center stage.

To this point, much of the conversation regarding plug-in car charging times has revolved around what kind of charging station you use. In the US, as many of us know, there are essentially three types of charging:

1. A standard 3-prong household outlet, also known as "Level 1 charging"
2. A specialized home charging station, also known as "Level 2 charging"
3. A commercial quick charging station, known alternately as both  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- With massive Hurricane Earl heading towards the Carolinas, motorists should be aware that while any increase in prices shouldn't be shocking, prices may increase.

I'll be keeping a close eye on how close Earl gets to massive refinery operations in East PA, New York, and New Jersey. Currently, Earl is a strong hurricane packing peak winds of 135mph, enough to disrupt power at refineries and other oil factilies responsible for getting products to pumps in those areas.

The further east Earl moves, the better. Currently it appears that the storm will only brush the concerned areas, but of course weather forecasts are subject to change.

Keep a close eye on the storm and prepare to fill your vehicles before the storm...  (read more)

Boston Globe -- There is good news at the gas pumps as Americans get ready to fill the tanks of their cars, RVs, and boats for the Labor Day weekend.

The national average price for gasoline has been falling steadily this month, reaching about $2.68 for a gallon of unleaded yesterday, according to AAA and others. That’s about 6 cents a gallon less than a month ago and 7 cents less than it was on the Friday before the July Fourth weekend.

In its weekly report, the US Energy Information Administration said the national average for a gallon of unleaded was $2.68, down about 2 cents from a week ago.

Prices in major cities ranged from $2.62 a gallon in Denver to $3.08 in Los Angeles and $3.12 in San Francisco.

Most analysts believe retail prices will continue to retreat in September.  (read more)

inhabitat.com -- By Timon Singh

Clean energy company Acta has unveiled plans to install a network of solar-powered hydrogen fueling stations throughout Italy. The new fuel pumps will harness solar energy to produce hydrogen fuel from water through electrolysis.

"...they offer an alternative to the standard gas-guzzling automobile."

Hydrogen technology has certain advantages over batteries — it doesn’t necessitate emission-creating production lines and it doesn’t require long recharge times. The tech has proved that it can work in conjunction with batteries and that it can also become a fully-fledged alternative fuel.

"...completed more than 170 installations during 2009,...paving the way for a more sustainable fueling network."

 (read more)

Bankrate.com -- Driving a car that has been in a car recall without getting the problem fixed can result in serious safety issues as well as lead to unnecessary costs. There were 1.4 million cars for sale with unfixed problems from car recalls last year, according to a new study by CarFax, the vehicle history information provider.

The vast majority of car recalls are considered safety issues and while they range from minor to very serious, all can result in unnecessary out-of-pocket expenses.  (read more)

CNN -- U.S. gasoline prices have decreased a little more than 7 cents per gallon in the past two weeks, and lower demand in September is expected to keep prices steady, according to a new nationwide survey.

The latest Lundberg Survey, conducted on August 27, found the average price of self-serve regular at $2.70 per gallon -- down 7.54 cents since the last survey, conducted two weeks before.

Survey publisher Trilby Lundberg said gas prices were catching up to a decrease in crude prices.

"Absent any upset in the price of crude, (gasoline) prices should see little change or even a small drop," Lundberg told CNN.

There is a plentiful supply of gas, and September marks the beginning of a traditional period of lower gas consumption that should keep prices steady,  (read more)

IndustryWeek -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Aug. 23 it will continue hiring for positions at its Blue Springs, Miss., plant after delaying its plan to start production at the facility amid weak market conditions.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi, Inc. (TMMMS) is hiring for hourly production and skilled maintenance positions through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and the Workforce Investment Network Job Centers.

Toyota plans to eventually hire 2,000 employees at the plant.

Individuals interested in employment opportunities at Toyota's Blue Springs plant may apply online at www.mdes.ms.gov.
 (read more)

Flixxy.com -- In an efficient and safe effort to save us from the ill-effects of plastic waste, Akinori Ito has developed a machine which converts plastic back into oil..
watch the video.....  (read more)

Reuters -- (Reuters) - Biofuel demand is driving a new "land grab" in Africa, with at least 5 million hectares (19,300 sq miles) acquired by foreign firms to grow crops in 11 countries, a study by an environmental group said on Monday.

The contracts by European and Asian companies for land to grow sugar cane, jatropha and palm oil to be turned into fuel will involve clearing forests and vegetation, taking land that could be used for food and creating conflicts with local communities, Friends of the Earth said in the study.

Proponents of biofuels argue they are renewable and can help fight climate change because the growing plants ingest as much carbon dioxide from the air as the fuels made from them emit when burned.

Critics say there is a risk of the crops infringing on land that could be u  (read more)

CNN -- An historic journey is happening now...and no surprise, it's to feed China's appetite for energy.

The SCF Baltica is a large tanker that has just made it safely through the Arctic Circle to deliver 70,000 tons of gas condensate (a natural gas extract) from Russia to China. This is the first time a tanker of this size has been able to make the journey through the Northern Sea Route. It's now headed for its final port destination just south of Shanghai.

There are two interesting angles to this story:

1) This route through the Arctic cuts down the distance traveled by almost a half. The route from Murmansk, Russia to Ningbo, China covers 7,000 nautical miles. This is down from the 12,000 nautical miles it takes on the traditional route through the Suez Canal.

Sergey Frank, CEO o  (read more)

Financial Times -- By Gregory Meyer in New York , Financial Times, 26 Aug 2010

Los Angeles traffic: Americans are driving less

Evidence of a slowdown in the US economy is turning up in oil markets as demand stagnates in the world's most voracious petroleum consuming nation.

US petroleum stockpiles are at their highest levels since the early 1980s, the energy department revealed this week, and the rapid rebound in demand from the recessionary lows of a year ago has begun to decelerate.

Americans are consuming less oil than they did in 2008 – or most of the previous decade, for that matter.

Demand for petrol, crucial to a car-dependent US, has gained a meagre 0.5 per cent year to date, according to energy department data.

US refiners are, meanwhile, exporting hundreds of thousands of barrels of ...  (read more)

Clean Technica -- "...This new form appears to be a kind of “scavenger” that harvests part of the light spectrum that other forms of chlorophyll don’t absorb.

The discovery is significant because it could help push forward the development of new strains of algae that can use a larger part of the light spectrum to produce biofuel oils, which in turn would help to make renewable biofuel production cheaper and more competitive with fossil fuels....

there is still some homework to be done before a definitive connection can be made, but the future looks promising for applying the mechanisms of photosynthesis not only to improve the efficiency of biofuel production. The implications for renewable energy also go beyond biofuels.... '  (read more)

USA TODAY -- PHOENIX (AP) — A surprise downpour sparked collisions involving 69 vehicles on an interstate near Phoenix's downtown area Saturday evening, closing the westbound roadway for hours and sending seven people to hospitals.
The crashes — described by authorities as the most in a single Phoenix area in recent memory — began about 6:30 p.m. with many drivers going too fast or not leaving enough distance between cars for the slippery conditions, Department of Public Safety spokesman Bob Bailey said.

"The storm hit hard, hit fast, and caught a lot of drivers by surprise," he said. "The collisions began in the far right side of the roadway near the 7th Street exit ramp and this thing kind of perpetuated itself, enveloping the whole roadway."

None of the injuries was life threatening and most  (read more)

Yahoo News -- This could literally be called pee power to the people-researchers have figured out a way to make the world's first urine-powered fuel cells.
 (read more)

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15917969 -- As the final days of the 2010 legislative session wind down in Sacramento, a Silicon Valley lawmaker is pushing to give California the most far-reaching mandate for renewable energy in the United States.
.
.
.
The showdown over Simitian's bill, SB 722, could come to a vote early next week. The bill would require California's utilities to produce 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
.
.
.
Three years ago, Simitian wrote a law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, that required a 20 percent renewable electricity standard by Dec. 31, 2010. That target is close to being met. The state's utilities are on pace to hit 18 percent this year and 21 percent by the end of next year.

But getting to 33 percent is a much steeper climb.  (read more)

CNN -- (CNN) -- In rural communities of Africa -- where more than 95 percent of homes have no access to electricity -- solar energy has the power to transform lives.

Globally, 1.5 billion people, one quarter of the world's population, live without electricity, according to a United Nations report.

Those who can afford any power at all spend large proportions of their income on kerosene for lamps or travel to larger towns to charge their batteries several times a week.

Burning kerosene contributes to indoor air pollution, which is estimated to kill 1.6 million people each year. Kerosene lamps also lead to fires that cause severe burns and deaths.

Solar energy saves families money as well as allowing children to study in the evenings and giving families access to information through rad  (read more)

Medill Reports -- Drivers pay extra to pump midgrade or premium gas into their tanks nearly 15 percent of the time, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

No figures track the exact number of people who fill regular tanks with premium gas for a perceived performance bump. But as the country increasingly looks for big ways to conserve energy, smaller targets also beckon. Shifting gears away from premium gasoline is an obvious move.

Patrick Kelly — a policy adviser at the American Petroleum Group, the country’s largest trade association for producers of oil and natural gas — offers a crash course in “Gasoline 101,” explaining what gasoline octane means, what makes premium gas “premium,” and whether overusing it takes an added toll on the environment.  (read more)

the auto blog -- Hydrogen faces a number of challenges when it comes to supplanting gasoline as the world's transportation fuel of choice, one of the largest of which was underscored by two small explosions at a Rochester, New York refueling station yesterday. According to reports, two people were injured when a spark ignited the fuel during a tank exchange. Praxair driver Robert Scruggs was transported to Strong Hospital with second-degree burns to his hands and face as a result of the incident, and a female Burger King employee was treated for ear pain in connection with the explosions.
 (read more)

Bloomberg -- Crude oil may rise next week after failing to break through a technical support level, a Bloomberg News survey showed.

Twenty of 49 analysts, or 41 percent, forecast crude oil will increase through Sept. 3. Seventeen respondents, or 35 percent, predicted that futures will be little changed, and 12 projected a decline. Last week, 39 percent of analysts forecast a drop.

October oil in New York fell to $70.76 a barrel on Aug. 25, the lowest intraday price for the contract since May 25. The failure to drop below the May low of $70.35 was a signal for technical traders to purchase futures.

“The market was oversold, and when we failed to take out the May lows the buyers came back in,” said Richard Ilczyszyn, a Chicago-based senior market strategist at Lind-Waldock, a division of MF Global Inc  (read more)

Reuters -- (Reuters) - Canadian developers are plotting a small revolution in the still-tiny market for electric cars, with a concept vehicle made from hemp set to debut at a specialized auto show next month.

The four-seat car, called the Kestrel, has an outer shell of a hemp-based composite, which developers say is lighter than glass fiber and more resilient than steel. It will debut at the EV (Electric Vehicles) tradeshow in Vancouver.

"The first vehicle comes out next year, and it will take four to five years for it to take off, but we hope that by that point electric vehicles will no longer be an 'alternative option'," said Nathan Armstrong, director of development firm Motive Industries, a small Calgary-based company that's looking at new options for the automotive sector.

The global el  (read more)

Gas 2.0 -- A new study published by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has found that more and more Americans are warming to the idea of driving electric vehicles, citing environmental concerns as the main reason for making the change.

Over a quarter of the people surveyed described themselves as familiar with electric cars while 42% of respondents said they were likely to follow news reports about electric vehicles. Nearly a third of respondent described themselves as familiar or very familiar with hybrid vehicles.

Of those who said they would consider buying an electric car, nearly 80% said their greatest advantage was the fact they run without gasoline, while 67% cited the reduction in pollution.

However, when it came to reasons not to buy an electric car the survey showed that a defin  (read more)

Truthout.org -- An Alyeska Pipeline Service Company engineer sent a letter to federal regulators and BP's Office of the Ombudsman claiming internal company documents were altered following a 4,500-barrel oil spill May 25 to cover up the fact that Alyeska allegedly failed to perform maintenance on a key piece of equipment.  (read more)

Financial Times -- Major ship deliveries over the next two years could threaten the balance of the market for crude oil tankers, the sector’s biggest operator has warned as the earning power of tankers slumps.

Frontline, whose largest shareholder is John Fredriksen, the Norwegian-born tycoon, also warned in a results statement on Friday that third-quarter earnings would be “materially below” the $81.3m net income on $356m revenue achieved between April and June this year.

The daily rates earned by crude oil tankers have collapsed since the end of June, forcing many operators to lay ships up out of use, as the segment has become the latest area of shipping to be hit by a combination of weak demand and excess ships.

Frontline is particularly exposed to movements in rates because, like other companies  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- In the last part of our series on car insurance, we'll cover the extras that some motorists like to add to their policy- such things as towing, roadside assistance, and car rental.

Now, these may seem like things you don't need- but they certainly become nice luxuries once you've needed or used them. They typically don't cost much every month, but can save you a lot of headaches and bills if you have more than a claim or two every year.

Rental reimbursement will pay for your rental car if your vehicle is damaged or stolen. Basically, until your car is done being repaired, you get a rental. If the car is stolen, you can drive the rental until you've determined your next car and the insurance settles your claim. Make sure...  (read more)

Associated Press -- Prices at gasoline stations across the country should keep dropping as travelers hit the road for late-summer trips.

The national average pump price has declined for 17 days in a row, reaching $2.682 for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline on Friday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. The price is 6.3 cents lower than a month ago and about 6.2 cents higher than it was last year at this time.

Motorists in the West are paying the most for gas, ranging from $2.815 to $3.521 a gallon. The cheapest prices are in Texas, parts of the Midwest and the Gulf Coast area, where the range is $2.446 to $2.537 a gallon.

The price pullback comes after a plunge in wholesale gasoline prices earlier this month continues to filter into the retail market. In addition,  (read more)