Automobiles

May 12, 2008 -- New research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found June through August to be the deadliest time of year for 15-passenger van occupants, due to rollover crashes. Statistics show that 31 percent of fatal rollovers involving 15-passenger vans occur during the busy summer travel months.

NHTSA Administrator Nicole R. Nason is urging all 15-passenger van users to take appropriate safety precautions when taking to the road during this busy travel season.

“The last thing we want is a summer outing to turn into a tragic memory,” Nason said.    » read more »

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April 22, 2008 -- LOS ANGELES -- California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today attacked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new fuel economy rules, calling them “a covert assault” on California’s landmark tailpipe greenhouse gas regulations.

Old car exhausts: Photo by frumbert (CC)

“This fuel economy plan, while attractive on the surface, is a shameful and unlawful assault on California’s landmark vehicle emissions standards,” Attorney General Brown said.    » read more »

Calls Announcement an “Historic Shift”

April 22, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today praised the Administration’s proposed rule-making to increase interim fuel economy standards to 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015.

Car traffic in Los Angeles: Photo by Simon Bisson (CC)    » read more »

New Survey shows Dramatic Increase in “Great Concern” over Gas Prices and Middle East Imports; New Quarterly Report Shows Rising Gas Prices Not Enough to Suppress Oil Consumption

April 21, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. -- Today, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released its first quarterly report tracking U.S. gasoline consumption, expenditures, oil imports and consumer attitudes as part of the organization’s ongoing effort to decrease the nation’s consumption of oil.

Sunset over oil derricks: Galveston, Texas. Photo by Alex Watson (CC)    » read more »

At $3.50 a Gallon, Typical Savings Can Be Up to 35 cents a Gallon

Americans can take steps to reduce the nation's oil import dependence by maintaining their vehicles and driving them more economically. Below are CFA's top ten gas-saving tips with savings updated for April 2008 gas prices.

Toyota Prius gas mileage indicator: Photo by Andrew Huff (CC)

1. Check Your Air Filter: A clean air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10%, and nearly one in four cars needs an air filter replacement. Changing a dirty air filter can save the equivalent of 35 cents a gallon or carry you 23 more miles on a typical tank of gas.    » read more »

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 28, 2008) – Independent tests conducted by engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory on the mono-fueled version of the BMW Hydrogen 7 prototype have found that the car's hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the super-ultra low-emission vehicle (SULEV) level, the most stringent emissions performance standard to date.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel demonstration vehicle, a near-zero emissions car: undergoes testing at Argonne's Advanced Powertrain Research Facility (APRF), the principal U.S. Department of Energy facility for assessing advanced hybrid electric vehicle technologies.    » read more »

Air Resources Board Should Require 379,000 Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2020, Science Group Says

BERKELEY (March 25, 2008)—The staff of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has submitted a proposal that would significantly weaken the state's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program. If adopted by the board, this plan would make it more difficult for California to meet its goal of cutting global warming pollution 80 percent by 2050, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). CARB could make its decision as early as this Thursday. The agency last modified the program in 2003.    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- WASHINGTON -- A public-private effort to develop technologies for more fuel-efficient automobiles and to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen-based vehicles has made significant progress in most research areas, says a new report from the National Research Council.

While several barriers hinder the program from achieving its full objectives, the potential benefits -- reducing dependence on imported oil and minimizing harmful environmental effects -- justify the cost of the research. A strategic reassessment of the overall program plan that accounts for new national and changed research priorities also should be developed, said the committee that wrote the report.    » read more »

Positioning State to Become a Technology and Jobs Leader

March 11, 2008 -- The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today initiated a pilot program designed to integrate plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into Michigan's electric grid, positioning the state to become a leader in this technology. The pilot program will be part of the MPSC's ongoing smart grid collaborative.    » read more »

Agency Says California Can't Act Without "Unique" Global Warming Impacts

WASHINGTON (February 29, 2008) – Today, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson issued an explanation for his decision to deny California the normally routine waiver to cut global warming pollution from new cars and trucks. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), together with a coalition of states and environmental organizations, is going to the courts to get EPA out of the way.    » read more »

Faulty Cruise Control Switches in Recalled Vehicles That Have Not Been Repaired; Owners of Recalled Vehicles are Urged to Bring Vehicles to Dealers Immediately to Disconnect Faulty Switches

February 28, 2008 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today urged owners of certain unrepaired Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, and certain passenger cars that contain a safety defect to bring their vehicles to dealer repair shops immediately to have the cruise control switch disconnected.    » read more »

Information Would Help Consumers Identify Rebuilt Vehicles, Safety Defects

Feb. 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – More than 15 years after Congress required the federal government to set up a national database to allow car buyers to determine whether a vehicle has been stolen or rebuilt after a wreck, the system is still not in place, three consumers groups said Wednesday in a lawsuit filed against the Department of Justice (DOJ).    » read more »

February 1, 2008 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging parents with Evenflo Discovery child safety seat Models 390, 391, 534 and 552 manufactured between April 2005 and January 29, 2008, to immediately check their seats. Evenflo is recalling approximately one million Discovery child safety seats that could fail to adequately protect children in a high impact side collision. The model numbers and date of manufacture are located on a white label at the bottom of the car seat.    » read more »

January 30, 2008 -- A new five star government rating system will grade child safety seats on how easy they are to properly install, and will help guide parents and caregivers in choosing the right car seat to keep their children safe, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.

Secretary Peters and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Nicole Nason outlined the new star rating system at an Arlington, Va., fire station today, and released new star ratings for 78 child safety seats currently on the market.    » read more »

DOE also partners with the State of Michigan and industry to advance vehicle technologies

January 17, 2008 -- DETROIT, MI –U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Under Secretary Bud Albright today announced that DOE will invest up to $30 million for cost-shared development and demonstration projects supporting Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs); and that DOE will participate in a cooperative, pre-competitive research and development alliance – known as the U.S. Automotive Partnership for Advancing Research & Technologies – or USAutoPARTs.    » read more »