vehicle emissions news stories on Newser

GM's 'Pod Cars' to Steer Themselves ... One Day

Matt Cantor — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:23:29 CDT

Move over, Volt: GM’s got an even more futuristic concept car on the way, and Fast Company has the latest. The Electric Network-Vehicle (EN-V) is an electric car that steers itself via GPS. A prototype was unveiled last year, and rumors have been swirling that a production date had been...

To Save Nature, Leave It

Nick McMaster — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:59:52 CST

Living in the least natural setting—the city—may be the best way to save nature, a Harvard economist writes in the Boston Globe . Urban dwellers drive less and have smaller homes to heat than their suburban counterparts, writes Edward Glaeser. By his reckoning, an average suburban Boston household emits...

New Car Runs on Compressed Air

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:08:00 CST

A tiny new car is literally a breeze to run and promises less damage to the environment than its rivals. The 3-wheel, 2-door, 4-seater AirPod, created in the UK, runs on compressed air and reaches speeds of up to 50mph. French distributor Motor Development International plans to sell the nearly...

Amtrak Testing Beef-Powered Train

Rob Quinn — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:34:00 CDT

America's first biodiesel train runs through the heart of Texas cattle country using fuel made from beef byproducts. The daily Heartland Flyer between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth will use the fuel for a one-year trial run, after which the rail operator will analyze data on emissions and on the...

Why This Hot Rod Is Greener Than a Prius

Nick McMaster — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:45:12 CDT

So, conventional wisdom tells us, if you want to help the environment, ditch those dreams of a hot-rod, get a hybrid, and commute knowing you’ve done your part to save the environment. Nonsense, writes Joe Eaton , who did precisely the opposite. “Giving up your Prius and putting a hot rod...

EPA Bucks Bush Policy, Lets Calif. Set Own CO2 Standard

Harry Kimball — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:08:29 CDT

The Environmental Protection Agency today granted California the right to set its own strict emissions standards, an about-face from Bush-era policies, Reuters reports. In a sly rebuke to the previous administration, the EPA said the move rested on a “traditional legal interpretation of the Clean Air Act.” California first requested...

Electric Bike Performs, Lacks Motorcycle Sound, Speed

Clay Dillow — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:55:34 CDT

The Zero S electric motorcycle is everything an electric car should be—quiet, emission-free, affordable—but the formula doesn’t necessarily translate well to bikes, Jonathan Welsh writes in the Wall Street Journa l. The performance mimics a typical 500cc gas-powered bike, with peppy acceleration, and a city-worthy 60mph top speed,...

Fuel-Efficiency Standards May Threaten Safety

Matt Cantor — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:53:00 CDT

President Obama’s new vehicle fuel-efficiency rules have safety experts worried that automakers will comply by churning out smaller, lighter cars—the more likely to kill you with, USA Today reports. Smaller vehicles are an easy route to boost efficiency that can also mean thousands more crash fatalities, but administration deadlines...

Obama Will Streamline Emissions, Fuel Rules for Autos

Kevin Spak — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:38:54 CDT

President Obama will announce plans for new national automobile fuel-economy and emissions standards tomorrow, overhauling and streamlining the current patchwork, sources tell Politico. The move will harmonize the CAFE standard and the EPA’s greenhouse-gas standard, so that struggling automakers needn’t fear the regulations moving independently. The announcement will also likely...