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Perspectives

The Auto Industry's Innovation Renaissance

What does Silicon Valley, California have in common with Leipzig, Germany?  They are both home to the most innovative, technically advanced, and possibly the most significant cars of the 21st century. The Tesla Model S and the BMW i3 are the cars that have defied experts who said they couldn't be built. While the key […]

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Sustainable Transport in LEED Developments

Location-efficient affordable housing is key to sustainability. Kalos, the Greek word for ‘beautiful,’ may be the name of an 83 unit affordable housing project in San Diego, California, but it also describes the ‘green’ car capacity the developer, Community HousingWorks, plans for the project as part of its pursuit of LEED platinum certification. We have […]

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‘Greener’ Choices at the Showroom

The evolution of the auto industry has been no less than amazing. I have witnessed this first-hand while documenting the advent of ‘green’ cars over two decades at Green Car Journal and at Motor Trend before that. We had electric cars back in the 1990s as we do now, battling for acceptance, with other alternative fuels also jockeying for […]

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In the Midst of Technology, Efficiency

We are all enamored by the advanced technologies at work in vehicles today. And why wouldn’t we be? The incredibly efficient cars we have today, and the even more efficient models coming in the years ahead, are testament to a process that combines ingenuity, market competitiveness, and government mandate in bringing ever more efficient vehicles […]

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Driving Tomorrow’s Technology Today

About a year ago, I gathered all our employees for a meeting and proceeded to make one bold statement, and an even bolder prediction. I shared my deep conviction that we were at the forefront of a historic opportunity within the automotive, trucking, and transportation industry. My prediction: We were on the verge of experiencing […]

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Lithium's Critical Future

Lithium is a key component of lithium-ion battery packs that power electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles. A recent report from Pike Research forecast global sales of EV charging equipment will grow from 200,000 units sold in 2012 to nearly 2.4 million in 2020, representing a compound annual growth rate of 37%. With lithium a […]

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Fast Forward in Fueling

For most Americans, our transportation choices are limited to the fuels offered at the local gas station. For generations, regular gas stations served our needs pretty well, but America’s transportation needs are changing. Every day we learn about new choices in alternative fuel vehicles, advancements in vehicle efficiency, and new, cleaner types of fuel, so […]

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Clean Tailpipe Standards Benefit Us All

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing ‘Tier 3’ cleaner tailpipe standards that will significantly reduce smog-forming pollution from vehicles. These standards will save lives, reduce asthma attacks, and give Americans cleaner air to breathe. Today, more than one in three Americans live where the air is sometimes unsafe to breathe, due in part to pollution […]

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Change at the Pump

Gas prices are high again at the pump, often topping $4.00 per gallon. This is driving interest in more fuel efficient gasoline vehicles and hybrids.

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High Tech Mobility is the Next Frontier

It is said that today’s teenagers are more interested in cell phones than in cars. I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but it does signal a kind of dematerialization that could create major opportunities for sustainable transportation. The triumph of the digital over the mechanical certainly has big implications for the design and use […]

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States Should Follow California's Lead

It’s the beginning of awards season in Hollywood as I write this and we are in the thick of making plans for our annual Pre-Oscar party. It’s been almost 10 years since we launched the Global Green USA ‘Red Carpet, Green Cars’ campaign to help make hybrid and fuel-efficient cars fun and sexy. Once again, […]

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California's Clean Car Program Goes Forward

While Washington was gripped by negotiations over the fiscal cliff, California got a welcome dose of good news. On December 27, the Environmental Protection Agency granted California a waiver to move forward with its Advanced Clean Cars program. Currently, vehicles are responsible for roughly one-fifth of the nation’s smog-forming pollution, and are the second leading […]

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Better Cars Address Climate Change

In the wake of the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy, the government released its findings that last year was the hottest on record for the continental U.S. While exact causes are difficult to pin down, what we do know is that just like the unprecedented droughts, flooding, and heat we all experienced this past year, storms […]

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Curb Your (EV) Enthusiasm

I am an electric car fan, always have been since I drove my first electric car – the experimental Sears XDH-1 – back in the mid-1970s. Over the years I’ve driven many battery electric vehicle prototypes and all production EVs in the U.S., spending a year living with a GM EV1. I have also spent […]

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Upscale Cars and Green Technology

I recently climbed out from behind the wheel of a 2013 Lexus GS450h. Fully loaded, this very luxurious hybrid will easily top $70,000 MSRP. And that’s not the most expensive hybrid offered by Toyota’s luxury brand. The LS600h L starts at $119,910. Back to the GS450h: It’s hard not to be impressed with the car’s […]

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Driven to Walk the Eco Walk

While we sadly may be part of the exception rather than the rule here in LA, many of Global Green's staff in Santa Monica live close enough to the office to walk or bike to work with ease. We have two walkers, four bikers, and a bus-taker. On top of that, we have lots of eco […]

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2012 a Record Year for Green Cars

Model year 2012 was a record breaking year for green cars. Average fuel economy (23.6 mpg), conventional hybrid sales (399,782), and plug-in electric sales (37,753) all hit historic highs. As a result of steadily rising fuel efficiency over the last five years, American drivers will use over two billion gallons less gasoline and cut their […]

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Life Cycle Emissions to Help Quantify 'Green'

Recent media coverage of electric vehicles has featured claims of high environmental impact due to the production and disposal phases of the vehicle life cycle. ACEEE’s Green Book, which evaluates such impacts for real vehicle models, helps put this issue into perspective. Among model year 2012 vehicles, production and disposal emissions were about 30 percent […]

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