-
Recent Posts
- November 2025 UK Vehicle Production Plunges
- US New-Vehicle Sales Q4 Forecast Down in 2025. Year Up a Tad
- Toyota to Export U.S. Made Vehicles to Japan
- Nissan Claims to Kill Wireless Phone Charging Bugs
- Electrify America EV Charging Adds WS Development
- Q3 2025 Airline Profits in Trump Slump
- Honda Recalls 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EVs
- Ford Motor Eliminates Model E in Profit Seeking About Face
- Wadda You Say? Personalized Sound at Nissan, Infiniti
- Bye Sauber – Hi Audi Revolut F1 Team
- Pre-Owned Vehicle Marketing – Stellantis, Cox Automotive
- Chinese Junk Watch Death Risk – Luyuan Youth ATVs
- ICE Vehicle Mobile Apps – Wide Satisfaction Differences
- Sports Betting Tax Revenues Soaring
- IndyCar Cheating – New Independent Officiating for 2026 Series
Recent Comments
- Magna on its Share Repurchase Plan in reference to on Magna Posts Solid Q3 2025 Earnings Gain
- Daniel Ricciardo Global Ford Racing Ambassador on Ford Performance Rebranded as Ford Racing
- Gen 3 2026 Nissan Leaf Less than $30,000? | AutoInformed on Milestones – Nissan Begins Assembly of 2013 LEAF EV in Tennessee
- ACSI – Customer Satisfaction with Autos Dropping | AutoInformed on New DOGE Scorecard Announced to Track Trump
- Cadillac Off-Roader – Elevated Velocity | AutoInformed on Annals of Marketing – Cadillac Opulent Velocity Concept EV
Archives
Meta
Category Archives: energy
Gulf Oil Opens Another E85 Station on Massachusetts Turnpike
It’s estimated that Massachusetts drivers own more than 100,000 FFVs that were produced because automakers receive generous CAFE credits whether or not the alternative fuel is actually used. It’s unknown how many drivers use the alternative fuel, but national consumption statistics suggest it’s slight. Worse, since ethanol does not have the energy density of good old gasoline, E85 needs to be roughly 25% cheaper for it to make economic sense for drivers. So far the fuel is about as successful as the Boston Red Sox this year. As a result, there are only 2,400 E85 ethanol fueling stations in the U.S. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, environment, news, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, e15, e85, ethanol, ffvs, flex fuel, gulf oil, Ken Zino
Leave a comment
Messing with Texas – Trees for Electric Vehicle Testing
Electric utility Reliant (NYSE: NRG) and its EV recharging subsidiary eVgo will donate $25 to the Texas Trees Foundation or Trees for Houston each time a customer take an electric vehicle test drive of the Mitsubishi “i” or Nissan Leaf in North Texas or Houston between now and December 1st at participating EVs for Trees dealerships. Participating dealers will also donate $25. If a NRG customer test drives both the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi I, a total of $75 will be donated to the local tree planting organization. Continue reading
D.C. Court Throws Out E15 Lawsuit on a Technicality
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has dismissed petitions challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s partial waiver allowing gasoline with 15% ethanol or E15 in 2001 and newer model vehicles. Federal law establishes a renewable fuel mandate that requires gasoline producers to introduce significant amounts of renewable fuel such as ethanol into the Nation’s gasoline supply. Continue reading
GM to Double Solar Power with German Opel Plant Addition
General Motors will double its output of solar power with the planned addition of an 8.15-megawatt solar array on the rooftop of the Opel Rüsselsheim facility in Germany. The array – one of the largest alternative energy projects in Europe – is equivalent to the area of 32 soccer fields. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, environment, news
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, GM, grid, Ken Zino, solar power
Leave a comment
GM Invests in NanoSteel, Claims New Class of Light Weight Materials
General Motors has invested an undisclosed amount in The NanoSteel Company because it claims the firm is a leader in light weight steel materials design. Through the development of patented alloys, NanoSteel has created a new class of steel that in theory allows automotive engineers and designers to reduce weight with thinner, higher strength gauges while maintaining the structural integrity needed for safety. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, engineering, fuel economy or emissions
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, cafe, GM, Ken Zino
Leave a comment
OSHA and NIOSH Say Fracking Hurts Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health today issued a ‘hazard alert’ to employers conducting hydraulic fracking operations. OSHA wants steps to protect workers from silica exposure in the controversial technique used to extract oil and natural gas. The hazard alert follows a study by NIOSH and industry that identified overexposure to silica as a health hazard to workers during hydraulic fracking. No data on the effect of residents of these areas were released. Continue reading
Posted in energy, environment, news, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, fracking, Ken Zino, niosh, osha, silicosis
Leave a comment
EPA Regulates Diesel Fuel Injected Underground for Fracking
The law is controversial because in pay-to-play Washington, Congress exempted most fracking fluids from the regulation of fluids injected into the ground required under the Safe Drinking Water Act. In environmental circles, this became known as the Halliburton loophole. Then U.S. vice-president Richard Cheney ran Halliburton – the biggest fracking services company in the country – before he was elected, of course. Continue reading
Former BP Engineer Arrested for Obstruction of Justice in Ongoing Deepwater Horizon Criminal Investigation
It was the first of what could become many criminal charges to be filed because of the environmental destruction caused by a huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. BP said “We will not comment on the Government’s case against former BP employee Kurt Mix and we will continue cooperating in the Department of Justice’s investigation.” Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, environment, litigation, news, people, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bp, deepwater horizon, Ken Zino, Macondo well blowout, oil spills
Leave a comment
EPA Issues Tougher Rules for Oil and Natural Gas Production
EPA – sensitive, if not given over to election year politics and high energy prices – also said the standards would enable companies to collect additional natural gas that can be sold. The updated EPA standards include the first federal clean air rules for natural gas wells that are hydraulically fractured, specifically requiring operators of new fractured natural gas wells to use what it says are cost-effective technologies and practices to capture natural gas that might otherwise escape the well. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, economy, energy, environment, news, news analysis, transportation
Tagged air pollution, api, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, clean air act, energy production, epa, fracturing, Ken Zino, natural gas, oil
Leave a comment
DOE Gives EV Supplier UQM More Time on ARRAS Grant
The politically contentious American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contained billions upon billions in taxpayer funding to businesses though a number of Recovery Act and related programs, including loans, loan guarantees, grants, contracts and tax incentives, in partnership with the Department of Treasury. In total, CBO estimates that the legislation will increase budget deficits by about $831 billion over the 2009–2019 period. Continue reading
Energy Research to be Coordinated by Three Federal Agencies
In a public relations move that clearly has political value during an election year with skyrocketing energy prices, the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Interior are supposed to work together “to ensure that continued expansion of natural gas and oil production happens safely and responsibly.” Continue reading
U.S. Fuel Consumption Drops in Q1 as High Prices Hurt
Total U.S. liquid fuels consumption fell by an estimated 850,000 bbl/d (4.5%) in the first quarter of 2012 from the same period last year, the Energy Information Agency announced this afternoon. However, hard-pressed consumers did not see that drop in demand reflected in the price of fuel since the energy markets do not always follow academic economic theory.
Continue reading
Have Gasoline Prices Peaked in the U.S.?
With the official short-term energy outlook due tomorrow from the federal government, some are predicting that gasoline prices in the U.S. have already peaked and will be heading back down again. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, news, prices
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, crude oil, gasoline prices, Ken Zino
Leave a comment
EPA First as Marathon Agrees on Flare Gas Controls
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Company would install the latest controls on combustion devices known as flares. This is an oil industry first. The settlement is part of EPA’s national effort to reduce air pollution from refinery, petrochemical and chemical flares. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, environment, manufacturing, news, results
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, clean air act, epa, flares, Ken Zino, marathon petroleum, refinery pollution
Leave a comment
Will Rising Gasoline Prices Hurt New or Used Car Sales?
What this means for the recovering U.S. vehicle market is unclear. New vehicle sales have been slowly rising but are still far below pre-Great Recession rates. What is clear is that this is bad news for drivers and energy consumers, is that global liquid fuels consumption is at historically high levels. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, energy, news, news analysis, transportation
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, gasoline prices, Ken Zino, nada, new car sales, oil prices, used car prices
Leave a comment
