Car drivers across western USA, and particularly in California, have been urged to drive in a more eco-friendly fashion to save cash and the environment - and now the EcoDriving programme has received support from some of the leading car manufacturers.

Ten car manufacturers - BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen - have offered their support to the EcoDriving programme as Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor of California, and Bill Ritter, Governor of Colorado, work with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to promote the scheme.

The idea behind the scheme is to encourage motorists to take practical steps to reduce their fuel consumption and aid the environment. This includes avoiding tailgating, accelerating and braking properly, inflating tyres to maximum pressure and driving at the optimum speed.

It is estimated that by following these steps, drivers could reduce their fuel consumption by as much as 15 per cent. In California alone, where there are 32.5million cars on the road, this could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 23million tonnes.

To help promote the scheme, the ten car manufacturers have declared September a ‘free green check-up’ month across the USA.

 The motoring industry may be feeling the pinch from the credit crunch, but sales of green cars are on the rise according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

According to its statistics, only 153,420 new vehicles were registered in July - down 13 per cent compared to last year’s figures, and the third successive month to show falling sales. However, despite the overall slump at dealerships across the UK, sales of alternatively fuelled vehicles actually rose by 19.4 per cent during the month.

The general slump in the motoring industry can be attributed to numerous factors - money is much tighter following the credit crunch, there are some fears over the Government’s vehicle excise duty plans and the cost of fuel has increased by more than 20 per cent since the year began.

Clearly the emphasis is on carmakers to produce more fuel efficient vehicles as quickly as possible as demand is there. Car dealers have also urged the Government to lower interest rates, but the Monetary Policy Committee chose to freeze Bank rate at 5.0 per cent in its monthly meeting on August 07.

According to the research, the best-selling models in July 2008 were:

1. Ford Focus
2. Ford Fiesta
3. Vauxhall Corsa
4. Vauxhall Astra
5. Volkswagen Golf
6. Peugeot 207
7. BMW 3 Series
8. Vauxhall Zafira
9. Ford Mondeo
10. Audi A4

Meanwhile, used car values are also expected to be affected - EurotaxGlass, publisher of car-price ‘bible’ Glass’s Guide believes values will fall by 12 per cent between now and Christmas.

 The eyes of the world will soon fall on Beijing, China, with the festivities of the 2008 Olympic Games due to begin in earnest in just 24hrs. Of course with such a global platform comes opportunity - one that car manufacturers have been keen to capitalise on.

It comes as no surprise then to discover that Volkswagen will be taking centre stage as one of the sponsors for the Olympic Games. However, what’s especially encouraging is that as Beijing hurries to rid itself of pollution before the events kick-off, Volkswagen is making its green cars the centrepiece of its involvement.

As the official sponsor for the event, Volkswagen will supply 5,000 green cars each carrying a special design to symbolise the Games. The idea is that the vehicles represent Olympic traditions with the concepts of ‘wind’, ‘mobility’ and ‘street’ all applied.

The vehicles that will be featured by Volkswagen are the Magotan 2.0 TDI (6.2l/100) and Magotan BlueMotion (5.1l/100), the Sagitar 1.4 TSI (6.4l/100), the Touran EcoFuel (biofuel CNG/gasoline) and the Tiguan 2.0 TDI (6.9l/100).

If you’re wondering where the VW names are that you may be familiar with, fear not. The Magotan is actually a locally produced version of the Passatt and the Sagitar is another name for the Jetta.

Volkswagen launches website, www.Volkswagen2028.com to provide insight into the Volkswagen’s view of the future.

When will vehicles communicate with traffic lights? Will there be traffic jams in the future? Can driving emission-free vehicles be fun? Automobile fans of all ages can find informative and entertaining answers to these and many other questions at www.Volkswagen2028.com.

Volkswagen shares its view of what motoring will be like 20 years from now. The lavishly designed website centres on a short interactive film which gives the viewer an informative and entertaining introduction to the subject. In the film, which takes place in 2028, a father tells his son about the automobile world of 20 years ago. Three models, “one”, “ego” and “room” web special vehicle concepts can also be viewed.

“Our designers and developers have created three innovative vehicle concepts exclusively for this Webspecial in order to illustrate the automotive world of tomorrow. We have called them ‘one’, ‘ego’, and ‘room.’ They give an idea of the shape that our visions of the future could take. They demonstrate how the cars of the future can communicate with traffic lights, how holographic displays in the cockpit can assist the driver and how we can generate even more driving pleasure and still keep our cars emission-free,” Jochen Sengpiehl, Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, explained.

 The task to design the world’s most economical car is no mean feat, but its one that Volkswagen has been taking very seriously for the best part of a decade. In 1999, it created a compact car with an average fuel consumption of three litres per 100km (94mpg). Now it has created a vehicle that can achieve 100km with just one litre of fuel - that’s 282mpg.

The so-called One-Litre car made its debut in April in Hamburg, Germany, when VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech himself drove the car from Wolfsburg to Hamburg to make a shareholders’ meeting. Originally the car was considered too expensive for mass production as it relies on a carbon fibre body - it was not expected to be released until at least 2012. However, now the price of carbon fibre has plummeted and Volkswagen plans to build around 1,000 of the 640lb cars by 2010.

So how does the car manage to be so fuel efficient?

There are a number of unique innovations on the One-Litre Car. Aerodynamics is the key and so it boasts a small frontal area with an unusual bullet-shaped body. Exterior mirrors have been scrapped because of their air drag and replaced with cameras in the side-turn signals along with a centrally mounted rear-view camera in the third brake light for parking.

At 640lbs the car is extremely light and it has a one-cylinder diesel engine for maximum energy utilisation. The fuel tank holds just 6.5litres but this gives the car a range of more than 400miles, while the suspension and disc brakes are also made of lightweight materials.

The One-Litre Car’s price tag however, is unlikely to be so lightweight. It is estimated to cost between 20,000 and 30,000 euros - that’s £16-£24,000.

If you’d like to know more about how the model works, check out this feature at Canadian Driver.

Volkswagen and the German government have launched a programme to push the development of environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles. 15 million euros have been pledged by the German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel to fund a four-year project that will develop prototypes that will operate using batteries that are charged using renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind power.

In addition to VW, which unveiled its Golf “Twin Drive” hybrid model, the energy group EON is also in the programme. The energy group EON are also included in the programme that hopes to see the release of models like the Golf “Twin Drive” hybrid by 2010.

The challenge: to create a viable, highly-efficient family vehicle capable of emitting less than 90 g/km of CO₂.  The Volkswagen engineers’ solution, unveiled on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, combines an advanced diesel engine with an electric motor and the very latest generation of seven-speed DSG gearbox.  The so-called Golf TDI Hybrid concept vehicle is capable of achieving 83 mpg on the combined cycle and emitting just 89 g/km of CO₂ - while around town the vehicle reverts to purely electric mode to be emission-free.

At the core of the new Golf TDI Hybrid is a highly-efficient 1.2-litre three-cylinder common rail TDI diesel engine developing 75 PS and 132 lbs ft of torque.  Working either in tandem with the diesel engine or, if required, on its own, is an electric motor developing 27 PS and 103 lbs ft of torque.  The electric motor also replaces the conventional starter motor and alternator to save weight and improve packaging. 

It can also operate as a generator, recovering kinetic energy from the car during braking to charge the 220 volt, 45 kg nickel metal hydride battery which has a capacity of 1.4 kW hours.

In practice the electric motor powers the vehicle from standstill with the diesel engine only engaging should additional acceleration be required or at higher speeds.  In these situations the diesel engine takes over with the electric motor only working if required to supplement the combustion engine - for example, during overtaking manoeuvres.  When at a standstill the diesel engine shuts down completely to conserve fuel and increase efficiency.  The energy split is relayed to the driver and passengers through a graphic display accessed through the touchscreen satellite navigation screen.

Drive on the concept car is channelled through the new seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox.  This features a pair of dry clutches as opposed to the wet clutches and sets a new energy efficiency standard for automatic gearboxes.

Visual changes which differentiate the Golf TDI Hybrid include a new, unique grille design, smaller front air intakes to reduce aerodynamic drag and subtle ‘TDI-Hybrid’ badging.  The Golf TDI Hybrid also sits lower than the standard Golf on revised suspension and adopts the front splitter from the Golf GTI Edition 30 to help further reduce aerodynamic drag.  A unique interior further distinguishes the Golf TDI Hybrid from the conventional vehicle.

The Golf TDI Hybrid is currently a concept vehicle, but a version of this vehicle is likely to go into production in the future. 

This study follows the recent launch of the efficient new Golf BlueMotion.  Adopting an optimised 1.9-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine linked to a revised gearbox and more efficient aerodynamics the Golf BlueMotion can achieve a combined 62.8 mpg while emitting just 119 g/km of CO₂ meaning it will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge from October 27^th onwards.

Timing

• Makes its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show
• The Golf TDI Hybrid is likely to inspire a future production vehicle

Key facts

• An engineering study aimed at extracting maximum efficiency from the combination of an advanced common rail diesel engine and a powerful electric motor designed to work in tandem; also uses very latest generation of seven-speed DSG gearbox
• The so-called Golf TDI Hybrid concept vehicle is capable of achieving 83 mpg on the combined cycle and emitting just 89 g/km of CO2; around town the vehicle reverts to purely electric mode to be emission-free
• Powered by a highly-efficient 1.2-litre three-cylinder common rail TDI diesel engine developing 75 PS and 132 lbs ft of torque.  Working either in tandem with the diesel engine or, if required, on its own, is an electric motor developing 27 PS and 103 lbs ft of torque.  The electric motor also replaces the conventional starter motor and alternator to save weight and improve packaging
• The motor also operates as a generator, recovering kinetic energy from the car during braking to charge the 220 volt, boot-mounted 45 kg nickel metal hydride battery which has a capacity of 1.4 kW hours
• The electric motor powers the vehicle from standstill with the diesel engine only engaging should additional acceleration be required or at higher speeds.  In these situations the diesel engine takes over with the electric motor only working if required to supplement the combustion engine - for example, during overtaking manoeuvres
• When the vehicle is stationary the diesel engine shuts down completely to conserve fuel and increase efficiency.  The energy split is relayed to the driver and passengers through a graphic display accessed through the touchscreen satellite navigation screen
• Drive on the concept car is channelled through the new seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox
• Visual changes which differentiate the Golf TDI Hybrid include a new, unique grille design, smaller front air intakes to reduce aerodynamic drag and subtle ‘TDI-Hybrid’ badging.  The Golf TDI Hybrid also sits lower than the standard Golf on revised suspension and adopts the front splitter from the Golf GTI Edition 30 to help further reduce aerodynamic drag

A unique interior further distinguishes the Golf TDI Hybrid from the conventional vehicle

The Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion caused quite a stir in the green world when it was announced that it would be the first conventional car to lower CO2 emissions below the 100g/km mark. Volkswagen now plans to add the BlueMotion to its other car types and by doing so increase fuel economy whilst decreasing harmful emissions

• Golf BlueMotion - 62.8mpg - 119g/km - £15,565
• Golf Plus BlueMotion - 58.9mpg - 127g/km - £16,745
• Golf Estate BlueMotion - 61.4mpg - 122g/km - £17,260
• Jetta BlueMotion - 61.4mpg - 122g/km - £17,260
• Passat BlueMotion - 55.4mpg - 136g/km - £17.260

Volkswagen really is making great strides in making the motor industry greener and helping keep the environment clean.

Volkswagen has developed the world’s first mass-production seven-speed gearbox. Incorporating DSG technology, the gearbox has lower gears at the bottom to give a sportier feel while top end high gears will lead to improvements in terms of miles per gallon and CO2 emissions.The gearbox can be used in either manual or automatic mode and will provide the drivers with more options as to the way they drive. 

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk

Volkswagen and Daimler AG have each acquired a minority shareholding in biofuel company, CHOREN Industries. The commitment aims to support the widespread market introduction of BTL (biomass to liquid), a second generation biofuel. BTL is an ultrapure fuel, virtually free of sulphur and aromatics, which combusts with minimum emissions and is produced from various types of biogenetic feedstock and residue. The involvement of VW, as part of its ‘Driving ideas’ campaign, will provide further support to the development of BTL plants, with plans to produce 15,000 metric tons of fuel a year by 2008. To put this into context, the planned Sigma plants have potential to make a significant contribution towards the German governments climate protection targets. The company believes that 10 to 15 CHOREN BTL plants could save up to 3 million metric tons of CO2 by 2020

Story taken from http://www.cleangreencars.co.uk