Filed under: Emerging Technologies, MPG

Even with the inexorable move toward electrically driven cars in the next couple of decades, the internal combustion engine will remain with us for some time to come either as the primary powertrain on many vehicles or at least as an auxiliary power unit for series hybrid vehicles. Given that reality, researchers are working feverishly on ways to improve the efficiency of ICEs as much as possible. During the recent SAE World Congress speakers from almost every carmaker and research facility talked about a new combustion process called homogeneous charge compression ignition or HCCI.

In the world of internal combustion engines there are two basic ways of igniting the air/fuel mixture to make power, using an electrical spark or compressing the mixture until the temperature reaches a point where the mixture self ignites. The first is used in typical gasoline engines and the second in diesel engines. The HCCI combustion process takes some of both processes and has only recently started to look like a viable alternative as electronic control systems and sensors have gotten more powerful and precise.

Continue reading after the jump.

[Source: ScienceDaily.com]
HCCI engines have the potential to reduce fuel consumption by fifteen to twenty percent or more which also means a reduction in CO2 emissions by a similar amount. This would bring them close to parity with diesel engines. HCCI engines run at extremely lean air fuel ratios as do modern diesel engines. Newer diesels use the lean air fuel mixtures in part to reduce particulate emissions. The problem in lean running diesels is that the temperature of the burning air/fuel mixture is very high which causes nitrogen oxides to be produced in addition to the CO2. That’s where HCCI differs because the combustion temperature is much lower resulting in very little NOx production.

HCCI engines can run on gasoline but use compression ignition like a diesel. They run on an extremely lean mixture, as much 34:1 compared to a regular gas engine that typically runs somewhere around 14.7:1. Exhaust gases are blended into the mixture which raises the temperature and helps the ignition. However unlike a diesel the compression ratio is much lower which results in much lower combustion temperatures. The blending of the exhaust gases with the lean air-fuel mixture also results in much more even mixtures which tend to ignite more uniformly across the entire combustion chamber.

While all of this is great in theory making it all work is extremely difficult. Controlling the air-fuel mixture precisely is paramount and that’s where Prof. Gregory M Shaver and his team at Purdue University come in. They have been working on modeling the behavior of HCCI engines and developing control algorithms to manage the valve timing and fuel flow in order to optimize the efficiency and performance of this new combustion process. They have come up with a way to monitor performance in each cylinder during each revolution of the engine and then adjust the parameters of the valve opening and closing to get the right compression ratio and exhaust gas amounts into the cylinder. HCCI is a very promising combustion process and you’ll be hearing more about hear in the near future.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Faxes – you would think that they are outdated, but we still use a ton of them. Instead of sending something electronically from one person to another via email, we print it, fax it, and then it comes out as another piece of paper on the other end. One document, twice the paper, instead of no paper at all.

So what can we do about it? The easiest first step would be to encourage people to send things to you via email, instead of fax. Use an email address that is as simple as possible, since you will be spelling it to someone over the phone. When sending information, ask them if there is an email address you can use, instead of a fax.

If people really want to use a fax on their end, there are solutions so that at least your half of the process can be paperless. Try out a service like eFax or Send2Fax, which allow you to send and receive faxes via email.

For a paid plan, you'll be able to send & receive faxes electronically. Prices start from $11.95 and up. eFax does offer a free plan that allows you to receive up to 20 pages a month. Your fax number won't be local and you won't be able to send outgoing messages, but hey – it's free!

So try to go fax-free and paperless. Extra benefit: no filing required.

Rebecca says: I used to use eFax over 5 years ago. This is not new technology, but so many people still aren't aware of it. Sure, the good plans cost money, but so does a fax machine and a dedicated phone line for the fax.

Filed under: Ethanol

Earlier this month, ethanol proponents and law enforcement officers came together at a new E85 fueling station in the state of Georgia. The occasion was the opening of the seventh ethanol station in Georgia, and the police were there with an E85 Police Tahoe, which will soon be much easier to spot in Georgia (except when they sit and wait in speed traps). According to Domestic Fuel, the executive director of the Middle Georgia Clean Cities Coalition, Charise Stephens, said that, “Our goal is to have General Motors E85 Police Tahoe in each of our counties and the fuel to sustain the program. Currently Middle Georgia has more biofuel stations than any other part of the state and we look forward to having the first E85 Police fleets in the state.”

[Source: Domestic Fuel]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Alicia's Friday post discussed elements of our current trade policy that have contributed to the growth of a consumer driven movement to help refocus trade on its inherent human issues. Judging by some of the comments made on her post it is apparent that there is some confusion about what the Fair Trade movement really is.

The confusion is perfectly understandable as the Fair Trade movement is not as well entrenched in the US as it is in Europe or the UK and the term 'fair trade' has been used in discussions of international trade in different contexts for over a century. Ronald Reagan used the term 'fair trade' in a radio address in 1986 and it has been used in the US political landscape more frequently since then. During the 2006 congressional elections a group of 'fair traders' ran on platforms of government managed trade relationships that would ostensibly better protect American jobs and the American economy from labor competition and fluctuations in the global economy. This seemed to have struck a chord with the American public as many of these politicians won their elections.

However, when Alicia and I write about Fair Trade we are speaking of something rather removed from the debate between a managed economy and a completely free market economy. We are talking about a consumer movement that began in earnest in the US in the late 1950's when several Mennonite women from Pennsylvania began importing embroidery and weaving from women in Africa, paying these women fair wages, providing small loans to grow their operations and engaging in long-term stable trade partnerships that helped the African women build a better life for their families and communities. That Pennsylvania project is now Ten Thousand Villages, the largest Fair Trade company in America with over 150 retail outlets across the country. Many hundreds more Fair Trade businesses exist all over the US.

What makes the Fair Trade movement something different entirely from the political 'fair traders' is that it is operating very successfully in the free market and requires absolutely no government interference or lobbying. The movement relies on consumers choosing to purchase Fair Trade goods and so a Fair Trade retail business falls much more appropriately in the emerging field of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise than in the political realm of managed trade.

All of this is not to say that we in the Fair Trade movement are not concerned with US trade policy, far from it, which could also be causing some confusion. Indeed the recently signed 'free trade' agreements (Adam Smith himself would have called this label a gross misnomer) cited in Alicia's article and their utter lack of any regard for the humanity of indigenous labor and their prostrate reverence of the almighty US corporation provide the central motivation for creating a trade alternative that respects humans, the environment and seeks a capital profit only when it can also provide a social profit. The Fair Trade movement is a government-independent, market-based and consumer-driven response to an undemocratic marketplace. It ultimately hopes to provide a shining example of how a business can do good while doing well in a global economy.

Alicia and I will be writing more about the Fair Trade movement, what it strives to accomplish and how, its shortcomings and its victories and how it is monitored over the coming weeks. We hope the discussion continues.

Alicia's Friday post discussed elements of our current trade policy that have contributed to the growth of a consumer driven movement to help refocus trade on its inherent human issues. Judging by some of the comments made on her post it is apparent that there is some confusion about what the Fair Trade movement really is.

The confusion is perfectly understandable as the Fair Trade movement is not as well entrenched in the US as it is in Europe or the UK and the term 'fair trade' has been used in discussions of international trade in different contexts for over a century. Ronald Reagan used the term 'fair trade' in a radio address in 1986 and it has been used in the US political landscape more frequently since then. During the 2006 congressional elections a group of 'fair traders' ran on platforms of government managed trade relationships that would ostensibly better protect American jobs and the American economy from labor competition and fluctuations in the global economy. This seemed to have struck a chord with the American public as many of these politicians won their elections.

However, when Alicia and I write about Fair Trade we are speaking of something rather removed from the debate between a managed economy and a completely free market economy. We are talking about a consumer movement that began in earnest in the US in the late 1950's when several Mennonite women from Pennsylvania began importing embroidery and weaving from women in Africa, paying these women fair wages, providing small loans to grow their operations and engaging in long-term stable trade partnerships that helped the African women build a better life for their families and communities. That Pennsylvania project is now Ten Thousand Villages, the largest Fair Trade company in America with over 150 retail outlets across the country. Many hundreds more Fair Trade businesses exist all over the US.

What makes the Fair Trade movement something different entirely from the political 'fair traders' is that it is operating very successfully in the free market and requires absolutely no government interference or lobbying. The movement relies on consumers choosing to purchase Fair Trade goods and so a Fair Trade retail business falls much more appropriately in the emerging field of social entrepreneurship and social enterprise than in the political realm of managed trade.

All of this is not to say that we in the Fair Trade movement are not concerned with US trade policy, far from it, which could also be causing some confusion. Indeed the recently signed 'free trade' agreements (Adam Smith himself would have called this label a gross misnomer) cited in Alicia's article and their utter lack of any regard for the humanity of indigenous labor and their prostrate reverence of the almighty US corporation provide the central motivation for creating a trade alternative that respects humans, the environment and seeks a capital profit only when it can also provide a social profit. The Fair Trade movement is a government-independent, market-based and consumer-driven response to an undemocratic marketplace. It ultimately hopes to provide a shining example of how a business can do good while doing well in a global economy.

Alicia and I will be writing more about the Fair Trade movement, what it strives to accomplish and how, its shortcomings and its victories and how it is monitored over the coming weeks. We hope the discussion continues.

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, MPG, Porsche, Volkswagen

It looks as though Porsche is planning on leveraging their new controlling interest in Volkswagen to help them add some efficiency to their high performance vehicles. While Porsche had previously indicated that they would never put a diesel engine in any of their vehicles, they now seem to be reversing course. It looks like the image of diesels as performance engines is changing perhaps in large part due to the success of the Audi R10 racers.

It appears that Porsche have accepted the inevitability of new EU carbon dioxide restrictions and are now moving forward with development of the changes necessary to meet those requirements. Porsche has already acknowledged that the Cayenne and the Panamera would be getting hybrid drivetrains and now oil-burners like the V12 from the top end Audi Q7 could be in the cards as well.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Philip's post today reminds that the IT industry in general is pretty energy-intensive. Today, one of that industry's major players is taking another step forward to reduce the environmental impact of one of its major assets: it's users. Yahoo! Green is a new site by the internet giant that provides users with a range of tools that help them lower their personal carbon emissions.

Meg Garlinghouse, director of Yahoo! for Good, told me on Friday that the new site, which will be officially launched with a big kick-off event in New York City, reflects the company's belief that bringing many people together to take small steps can result in a major reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions. At Yahoo! Green, users can commit to a range of various actions that will reduce their own environmental impact: installing a programmable thermostat, installing a CFL in a porch light, air-drying clothes in the Spring and Summer, etc. The site records each user's plan and calculates the emissions savings produced. These figures are then compiled to show the total amount of GHG emissions saved by all users participating in the program.

Yahoo! will also add an element of competition to the site: user carbon savings, as well as information gathered from other Yahoo! tools, will be calculated by their location, and the US city with the highest totals will be named "America's Greenest City" by the company, and awarded either a fleet of hybrid taxi cabs, or the cash equivalent, which can be used to "green up" a public building. The "Be a Better Planet" competition will run through June 8th. Individual participants will receive a free CFL for their efforts.

We're impressed, and we look forward to Amy's coverage of today's NYC event, which will feature Yahoo! co-founder David Filo, Global Green USA CEO Matt Peterson, and Academy Award-nominated actor Matt Dillon. When combined with it's own carbon neutrality pledge, its sponsorship of 18seconds.org, and its Earth Week challenge to employees to reduce the company's overall environmental impact by 20% (which was rewarded by staging a Sumo wrestling match between Filo and co-founder Jerry Yang — watch the video), it's clear that Yahoo! is taking significant steps to not only operate in a more sustainable manner, but also to educate others about the benefits of living a greener lifestyle.

Yahoo! Green