Turn back the clock to 2006, when Ford Motor Company announced it was taking flex-fuel vehicles seriously. That year, the company built 185,000 autos that could run on gasoline, ethanol or any combination of the two up to E85 (85 percent ethanol). Ford also pledged that the company's production of flex-fuel vehicles would double by 2010.
2011 Buick Regal Turbo – Click above for high-res image gallery
2011 Buick Regal Turbo – Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford Transit Connect Taxi – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Progressive Automotive X-Prize has been underway for some time now but finally, the hyper-efficient rubber is meeting the race track. The twenty-eight remaining teams spent the weekend making their way to Michigan where they will begin the week-long "Shakedown Stage." There, the entrants will undergo a safety inspection and "on-track dynamic safety evaluations" that include, among other things, braking speed, lane changing
Mazda Furai Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
In a gesture to improve biofuel trade relations with the U.S. and other countries, Brazil's Council of Ministers of the Board of Foreign Trade (MDIC) has temporarily lifted the country's tariff on imported ethanol, changing the tax rate from 20 percent to zero percent. The tariff will be lifted through the end of 2011.
Not only is topping off your clean diesel's fancy selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system with urea a bit expensive, but if you don't keep it topped off, your car may not start at all.
Holden Commodore VE family – Click above for high res image gallery
2010 Bentley Continental Supersports – Click above for high-res image gallery
2010 Bentley Continental Supersports – Click above for high-res image gallery
Bentley Continental Supersports convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery
2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery
Volkswagen In Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Novozymes E85 vehicles – Click above for high-res image gallery
It's a common message these days: going green doesn't mean you can't have any fun. Evidence of this fact can once again be seen as the performance and tuning community continues to look at ethanol for increased performance for a relatively low outlay of cash.
Today is the very last day of the year. And guess what? This is the very last post you'll see on AutoblogGreen in 2009. Fret not, green car aficionados, there will be fresh new material to keep us all interested in 2010, but let's take a minute to look back. Not just on the last decade, but on the entire last century.
2010 Hummer H3 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Click above to watch the video after the break
