Environmental Issues

Germany said to make new offer over EU-Daimler coolant dispute

March 14, 2013 06:01 CET
Germany has written to the EU with a new set of proposals aiming to break a deadlock over a law requiring carmakers to stop using extremely potent greenhouse gases in air cooling systems, EU sources told Reuters.... Read More »

 

Automakers ask EPA to pull back on Calif. ZEV mandate

4:22 pm U.S. ET | March 12, 2013
Three months after the Obama administration gave California permission to start mandating the sale of zero-emission vehicles, automakers are again seeking to block the state's ZEV program.... Read More »

 

Carmakers seek new ways to cut CO2 emissions as EV optimism wanes

March 8, 2013 17:06 CET
Automakers are rethinking fuel-saving technologies for passenger cars as hopes dampen that electric vehicles will play a big role in cutting CO2 emissions.... Read More »

 

PSA wants GM to share development of compressed-gas hybrids

March 8, 2013 06:01 CET
PSA/Peugeot-Citroen plans to talk to other carmakers including alliance partner General Motors about sharing development of low-cost compressed-gas hybrids.... Read More »

 

2013 GENEVA AUTO SHOW

Hyper-hybrid LaFerrari could redefine green cars

March 6, 2013 10:50 CET
The LaFerrari is one of the most electrifying debuts at this year's Geneva show, and not only because of its sleek carbon-fiber body or its top speed of more than 350 km/h. It is one of a new breed of sports cars, combining powerful gasoline engines with electric motors, that are part of a new group of greener hyper-hybrid vehicles.... Read More »

 

Obama taps insider as EPA chief; MIT professor to lead Energy Dept.

10:21 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
President Barack Obama today announced his nominees to lead a new federal push to tackle climate change, choosing an air quality expert to run the Environmental Protection Agency and a nuclear physicist to head the Department of Energy. Obama selected EPA veteran Gina McCarthy, 57, to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator and MIT scientist Ernest Moniz, 68, to take over for Steven Chu as Energy secretary.... Read More »

 

Ford to cut waste per vehicle built 41% by 2016

4:04 am U.S. ET | Feb. 27, 2013
Ford Motor Co. plans to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills for each vehicle that it builds by 41 percent as part of a five-year plan through 2016. Ford plans to reduce waste generated per vehicle globally to 13.4 pounds per vehicle, from 22.7 pounds in 2011, the company said today.... Read More »

 

Estonia installs nationwide EV charger network

Feb. 21, 2013 12:47 CET
Estonia has become the first country in the world to install a nationwide system of fast chargers for electric vehicles as part of European efforts to reduce carbon emissions.... Read More »

 

BMW taps wind power to guard profits

Feb. 19, 2013 09:04 CET
BMW will harness winds whipping across eastern Germany to secure power -- and defend profits -- as costs rise due to Germany's 550 billion-euro ($740 billion) shift away from nuclear energy. A clean-energy surcharge could add 254 million euros to the combined power bills of auto manufacturers and parts suppliers in Germany.... Read More »

 

German car plans may breach EU carbon goal, Commission says

Feb. 18, 2013 13:53 CET
Germany's tactics to protect output of cars from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz threaten a 2020 target for EU limits on vehicle CO2 emissions, a European Commission document said.... Read More »

 

Automakers exploit loopholes to boost green credentials, EU report says

Feb. 10, 2013 06:01 CET
European car manufacturers are exploiting test loopholes to exaggerate their vehicles' green credentials, a European Commission study found. The report is likely to stoke an already heated debate on EU CO2 emissions standards... Read More »

 

Winterkorn seeks to cut his VW pay ahead of wage talks

Feb. 8, 2013 14:49 CET
VW CEO Martin Winterkorn proposed that he should take a self-imposed pay cut as the automaker prepares for wage talks with production staff in western Germany.... Read More »

 

China auto industry unfair 'scapegoat' for toxic smog, trade group says

6:49 am U.S. ET | Feb. 7, 2013
China's auto association said the car industry has become a "scapegoat" for the toxic smog that engulfed Beijing in the past month and that coal-fired power plants should bear the main responsibility for the pollution.... Read More »

 

BMW quits industry group testing safety of new refrigerant

Feb. 6, 2013 21:01 CET
BMW stepped down from its role in an automotive industry research program investigating the safety of a potential new air conditioning refrigerant, disagreeing with the test methods employed.... Read More »

 

BorgWarner, Manganello donate $2 million to UM for endowed chair in mechanical engineering

4:07 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 31, 2013
BorgWarner Chairman Tim Manganello and the company's charitable foundation are donating $2 million to the University of Michigan College of Engineering for an endowment to fund research and teaching.... Read More »

 

New tailpipe emission regulations mulled by White House

1:59 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 30, 2013
The White House has started weighing a proposal to set stricter limits on tailpipe emissions, which could require automakers to put more emissions controls into their new cars and trucks within a few years.... Read More »

 

EU needs leap in electric, hybrid cars to reach carbon goals, study says

Jan. 29, 2013 09:17 CET
The EU needs a leap in the number of electric and hybrid cars on the road over the next decade to succeed in cutting auto carbon emissions significantly by 2025, a British consulting firm found.... Read More »

 

VW, GM could benefit from China's toxic smog

Jan. 27, 2013 06:01 CET
With toxic smog engulfing Beijing and much of China, the government is considering tighter emissions standards that match Europe's. That could benefit General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai.... Read More »

 

PSA and Bosch unveil a battery-free hybrid

Jan. 23, 2013 09:22 CET
PSA/Peugeot-Citroen plans to launch hybrid cars partially powered by compressed air by 2016. The carmaker says the so-called "Hybrid Air" system developed with supplier Robert Bosch will be lighter than a hybrid running on gasoline and battery power.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Calif.'s leadership is bold, vital

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013
California's zero-emission vehicle program is already showing signs of success. The policy has helped make California the leading U.S. market for hybrid and electric vehicles.... Read More »

 

European politicians brace for clash on car CO2 law

Jan. 20, 2013 06:01 CET
EU politicians are sharply divided between those keen for ambitious green car standards they say are needed to keep up with U.S. goals and those trying to limit the regulatory impact on makers of big luxury cars.... Read More »

 

Ford says U.S. may change hybrid fuel-economy test procedures

9:27 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 15, 2013
Ford, facing criticism for the fuel-economy performance of some of its models, said the Environmental Protection Agency may change its procedures for testing the mileage of hybrids.... Read More »

 

BRUCE GAIN

Car marketing tweaked due to tough times

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
Europe's shrinking car market has changed automakers' marketing messages. Since early 2012, carmakers have shifted from generic, brand-focused campaigns to ads that show how specific features benefit drivers -- and their wallets.... Read More »

 

Suppliers benefit from tailpipe crackdown

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013
Suppliers of emissions controls are likely to do brisk business over the next few years as automakers redesign vehicles to meet stricter standards on soot and smog.... Read More »

 

EU must cut diesel emissions, officials say

Jan. 10, 2013 11:37 CET
The European Union must cut emissions from diesel vehicles as part of a drive to reduce air pollution, which causes nearly half a million premature deaths a year, EU officials said. The call comes as the EU says it will publish legislative proposals to improve air quality in the second half of this year.... Read More »