Mazda Hybrid coming in 2013

Mazda will build a new hybrid vehicle in 2013 based on petrol-electric components borrowed from the Toyota Prius.

The Japanese car maker has signed an agreement with its domestic rival that will see Toyota supply hybrid technology that will be combined with Mazda's new-generation 'Sky' engines.

Mazda has previously snubbed hybrids and stated it would improve its vehicle fleet's overall fuel efficiency by 30 per cent by 2105 using a combination of lighter construction materials, stop/start engine technology and more efficient petrol and diesel engines.

The company, however, says it hopes to reach its self-imposed efficiency deadline even without the contribution of new hybrid models.

Mazda Kiyora concept.

Mazda is developing both petrol and diesel versions of its new direct-fuel-injection Sky engine for 2011, though it hasn't revealed whether the Sky-G (petrol) or Sky-D (diesel) will be mated to the Prius's components that would be expected to include its electric motors.

With electric assistance, Mazda says the four-cylinder petrol engine will improve fuel efficiency and torque by up to 15 per cent. The diesel engine will bring a consumption improvement of up to 20 per cent compared with a current version.

A Sky-G engine featured in Mazda's striking 2008 concept car, the Kiyora.

Mazda's new deal means the company has decided against pursuing the hybrid systems used by Ford, which reduced its stake in Mazda from 33 to 13 per cent in 2008. The US market Mazda Tribute borrows the petrol-electric drivetrain used in the twin-under-the-skin Ford Escape.

Toyota already supplies hybrid technology to Nissan in America, and says it will consider similar requests from other car makers.

Mazda has worked on hydrogen-powered prototypes but has previously ignored petrol-electric vehicles despite Toyota and Honda having first sold hybrids more than a decade ago.

Holden (GM) Car runs on nappies (Diapers)

Holden hopes to have a car fuelled by household waste within a couple of years.

Australia’s most popular car could soon be running on dirty nappies and food scraps.

Holden has formed a consortium with Caltex, the Victorian Government and three other technology companies to explore the viability of an ethanol plant in Victoria that would convert household rubbish into fuel.

And the car maker has committed to launching a Commodore that is capable of running on 85 per cent ethanol by the end of the year.

Caltex will support the introduction of the new E85 Commodore by installing E85 pumps in 30 metropolitan and regional service stations later this year and increasing that figure to 100 within 12 months. The E85 Commodores will also be able to run on regular unleaded or E10 petrol.

The ethanol plant would take two years to build and would be capable of producing 200 million litres of ethanol a year from a variety of waste, including building materials, paper, cardboard and household food scraps. It would cost roughly $300 to $400 million to build.

The technology to convert the waste into fuel has been developed by US firm, Coskata. The process uses bacteria that feed off carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen and excrete ethanol. Local waste management company Veolia will be responsible for providing the household waste to the plant.

Holden’s energy and environment director, Richard Marshall, said the technology would provide environmental benefits as well as reducing Australia’s dependence on foreign oil.

“Our vision is that this technology will, in time, cut Australia’s dependence on petrol by up to 30 per cent and make a contribution to sustainable motoring and greenhouse gas reduction,” Mr Marshall said.

Marshall said using household waste rather than food sources meant ethanol production could be significantly increased without raising any “food for fuel” issues.

“This process can use anything from dirty nappies to food scraps,” he said.

Australian ethanol is currently developed from waste by-products of sugar cane and wheat, but to increase production substantially, the current suppliers would need to convert food-producing agricultural land to ethanol crops, which would attract criticism.

“What we’re trying to do here is to move [ethanol] from a boutique fuel into the mainstream,” he said.

To move the fuel into the mainstream, however, the consortium will need to overcome the fact that E85-capable cars use substantially more fuel than petrol cars.

To attract buyers, petrol stations will have to heavily discount E85, but Marshall believes the price will be “very competitive” with petrol, especially in the longer term as petrol prices rise.

“We know that if petrol is about $1.50 a litre we need to be selling E85 for about $1.20 a litre.

“We’re expecting over the next year or so that the price of petrol is steadily going to go up. Even if ethanol right now at the bowser mightn’t be cheap enough to make it financially neutral we expect that over the next few months or year that will certainly change,” he said.

He said that converting waste to ethanol was a cost effective solution, because people would actually pay to supply the plant with its raw materials.

“You’ve actually got people paying you to take it away,” he said.

The plant would also help the environment by converting waste into fuel rather than landfill, which produces methane.

General Motors has a big commitment to ethanol fuels in the United States, with more than 3.5 million E85-capable cars on the road. It has committed to making more than half its vehicles E85 compatible by 2012.

Caltex Australia’s general manager, marketing, Andy Walz, said the company was committed to expanding beyond its traditional fuel mix.

“Caltex already has about 400 service stations that sell E10 and a growing biodiesel market. We believe the biofuels industry has a vital role in a sustainable transport fuels future and that biofuels are a good business opportunity for Caltex,” he said.

Marshall said ethanol would form part of a multi-pronged “sustainable motoring” strategy for Holden.

“We’re not saying this is the only solution. We’ve always said there are multiple solutions. There’s no silver bullet. I think people are now starting to talk about silver buckshot. Ethanol is very much an important piece of that buckshot, LPG is another and then electricity is part of it as well and conventional petrol will be important,” he said.

Earthlust Stainless Steel Bottles now in...

Earthlust Stainless Steel Bottles now in...

EarthLust products are stylish and safe!

EarthLust bottles are hand made from high quality #304 (18/8) food grade stainless steel, which is naturally safe unlined. Our bottles are a custom design - not stock bottles. Most of our line is limited edition - new art will arrive soon! We use non-toxic paints and BPA-free safe polypropylene #5 caps. Select from our 380ml, 600ml and 1L Bottles.

Each bottle comes with a high quality carabineer and optional sports tops are available for all sizes - every bottle helps to eliminate waste and gives you a safe and stylish way to have a cold beverage near you at all times!

Sports caps (tops you don't have to take the tops off to drink from) are also available!

http://www.greendemon.com.au/stainlesssteelbottlesearthlust-c-63_99.html

1-3 appliances has exaggerated environmental credentials

ONE in three electrical appliances audited for energy efficiency is either unfit for sale or has exaggerated environmental credentials, a Herald investigation reveals.

Of the 171 appliances tested from January 2007 to June 2008, 38 per cent failed the federal government's minimum energy performance requirements or understated the item's energy consumption on initial screening.

The poorest performing categories were fridges and freezers (59 per cent), airconditioners (59 per cent) and dishwashers (27 per cent).

Since the six-star rating system began in 1992, more than 1900 appliances have been audited to verify their advertised energy rating and consumption in response to tip-offs or complaints.

Despite the alarming rate of failure, the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Water failed to provide a list of offending companies.

The federal government administers the star rating scheme, and the states are responsible for enforcement. Serious breaches may be referred directly to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

But, since 2003, the ACCC has taken action in just three cases.

Consumer advocates and testing laboratory operators have called for tighter enforcement to rein in offenders, many of which are based overseas.

Catriona Lowe, of the Consumer Action Law Centre, said harsher penalties were needed. She supported a name-and-shame list for multiple offenders.

''Perhaps for a first offence it's appropriate [for the manufacturer] to remedy but, when companies are doing it on a serial basis, consumers have a right to that information,'' she said.

This week, as the Herald reported, the electronics giant LG was forced to pay more than $400,000 in electricity rebates and offer refunds to 1259 customers who bought two models of fridge that were doctored to give lower energy consumption readings. The ACCC is reportedly investigating the matter.

Ian Jones, of Vipac, which performs efficiency tests for manufacturers and the government, said the self-regulatory aspects of the star rating scheme meant items ''could end up on the market without any testing''.

Testing costs could run into the tens of thousands of dollars and manufacturers sometimes made modifications to improve results, he said.

A spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association, Ian McAlister, said the majority of manufacturers complied with the requirements.

''They have their reputations to protect … we only hear about the ones that fail. It's very rare for the companies to be pinged.''

He said discrepancies between stated and actual energy consumption could result from variations in testing conditions.

There are more than 31,000 appliances on the federal government's energy efficiency register. More than 75 per cent of consumers used star rating labels to help choose an appliance, a 2006 survey found.

A spokesman for Choice, Christopher Zinn, said increased running costs made the star rating system more relevant.

''As the price of electricity goes up, consumer demand is going to be for more energy star-style disclosure on more and more products,'' he said.

LG puts illegal 'Green' device in fridges

AN ELECTRONICS manufacturer with a history of making false environmental claims has been caught doctoring fridges to make them appear more energy efficient.

LG Electronics has agreed to compensate potentially thousands of consumers after two of its fridges - models L197NFS and P197WFS - were found to contain an illegal device that activates an energy-saving mode when it detects room conditions similar to those in a test laboratory.

The so-called circumvention device was discovered last month by the consumer advocacy group, Choice.

The device detects test conditions - typically 22 degrees - and activates the energy-saving mode, creating the impression of lower running costs and energy usage. The devices have been banned in Australia since 2007.

In reality the fridge, which has a 3.5 star energy rating, costs an extra $250 to run over 10 years and can severely affect food quality because the fridge can shut off when opened.

Choice's tests found the energy consumption of the fridge was 876 kilowatt hours a year, compared to the advertised 738kWh.

Yesterday, the chief executive of Choice, Nick Stace, said the fridge was an extreme example of a company making false or misleading environmental claims, known as ''greenwashing''.

''This fridge is both a potential danger to your food, your wallet and the environment,'' Mr Stace told the Choice National Consumer Congress at Luna Park.

LG Electronics has agreed to pay affected customers $331 to cover the unexpected increase in their power bills, but has not agreed to refund the purchase price of the fridge.

It is the third time LG Electronics has been caught making false claims about the environmental credentials of its products.

In 2008, it had to repay $3 million after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ruled it had inflated the energy-efficiency star rating of five models of air-conditioner.

The Herald understands the ACCC is investigating the latest matter. An ACCC deputy chairman, Peter Kell, would not comment on the investigation, but said consumer laws due to be introduced this year would give regulators greater powers to police claims.

He said the new legislation, the biggest overhaul of consumer law since the 1970s, would give the ACCC the power to force companies to substantiate environmental, health and other claims, as well as the power to enforce harsher penalties.

From April 1, a new star rating labelling system and energy rating calculation will be introduced for all fridges.

A spokeswoman for electrical retailer, The Good Guys, said it received a manufacturer's recall notice from LG for the L197NFS fridge on February 26.

She said the company would offer customers a full refund and would pursue the matter with LG Electronics.

US to be 10% solar powered by 2030

Updated: 08:57, Thursday March 11, 2010

The United States could source 10 per cent of its electricity from solar power by 2030, a report said on Tuesday.

The report, produced by the independent environmental group Environment America, was presented to Congress with backing from Senator Bernie Sanders who in February introduced legislation to install 10 million solar panels across the United States within a decade.

Sanders praised the report, which said the United States could get 10 per cent of its electricity from solar power by 2030, up from just 0.1 per cent in 2008, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Sanders' bill, which has gained the support of several other Democratic senators, proposes 'rebates for the purchase and installation of an additional 10,000,000 solar roofs ... by 2019.'

'At a time when we spend $US350 billion ($A383.14 billion) importing oil from Saudi Arabia and other countries every year, the United States must move away from foreign oil to energy independence,' Sanders told a media conference on Tuesday.

The legislation introduced by Sanders, who heads a sub-committee on green jobs, would offer a rebate of $US1.75 ($A1.92) per watt of installed capacity in 2010, an offer that would fall to 25 cents per watt by 2019.

SKY NEWS