Although The Green Motorist is primarily a passenger vehicle blog, I like to report about commercial alternative vehicle news from time to time.  GreenBiz.com and Automotive Fleet Magazine have ranked the top 10 largest U.S. alternative fuel fleets.

1. Enterprise 7,000
2. Schwan’s 5,800
3. U.S. Postal Service 4,448
4. Waste Management 2,305
5. Pacific Gas & Electric 2,102
6. Johnson & Johnson 2,091
7. Commonwealth Edison 1,918
8. Consolidated Edison 1,752
9. Ferrellgas 1,600-2,100
10. Florida Power & Light 1,285

ComEd published a press release with details about their alternative fuel fleet:

The ComEd green fleet currently comprises:
— 1,774 trucks that use biodiesel fuel (20% soybean oil, 80% diesel)
— 250 E85 flex-fuel vehicles that use ethanol
— 91 hybrid Ford Escape SUVs
— 40 Prius hybrids
— 10 Prius Plug-in hybrid electrical vehicles (PHEV)
— 2 biodiesel-electric hybrid bucket truck
— 1 liquid petroleum gas (LPG) bucket truck

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Filed Under: General

Yesterday, Consumer Reports announced that the Toyota Prius Touring edition was their choice for best overall value. Later in the day, the Prius was named as one of the most reliable used cars by the magazine.

“Value-minded consumers know that buying a reliable used car is often the best choice, but that finding one takes research. To help simplify the process, Consumer Reports has identified the most and least reliable used cars for 10 years - from model years 1999 to 2008 - in the magazine’s 2009 Annual Auto Issue. Reliability data was compiled from the magazine’s Annual Auto Survey, which generated responses about more than 1.4 million new and used vehicles.” (Source: PR Newswire)

The Toyota Prius was listed as one of the best used car values in the family car class. The Prius was the only hybrid to show up in the top five in the small car, family car, minivan, small SUV and midsize to large SUV classes.

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Filed Under: toyota

Bucking the idea that hybrid vehicles are more expensive to repair and thus not a good value, Consumer Reports has named the Toyota Prius Touring model as the new car with the best value. Notice, I didn’t see “best new hybrid car” – the Prius topped the list of over 300 cars that the magazine looked at.

“To determine which cars are the best values, Consumer Reports looks at its overall road-test scores, five-year owner-cost estimates, and predicted reliability ratings for more than 300 recently tested vehicles. CR then divided each vehicle’s five-year owner-cost by its overall road-test score to get the cost of each test-score point — the lower the cost-per-point, the better the value. To ensure the vehicles named as best values were also models that held up well over time, choices were limited to those with above-average predicted reliability ratings. Consumer Reports’ owner-cost estimates are based on six major elements: depreciation, fuel economy, insurance, interest on financing, maintenance and repair, and sales tax.” (Source: PR Newswire)

The fuel efficient MINI Cooper came in 2nd place while the Honda Fit squeaked into the top five in the fifth position. The Smart ForTwo, which is a reasonably priced fuel-efficient vehicle actually scored rather poorly in the Consumer Reports rating and was one of the worst in the small/family car category.

The 2009 Annual Auto Issue will be available on newsstands next week.

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Filed Under: toyota

February is not over yet but JD Power & Associates is reporting that in the first 22 days of the month, auto sales are down approximately 38% when compared to 2008. I think that anyone even remotely conscious of the economy knows that sales are going to be down.

“February’s new-vehicle retail sales are expected to come in at 580,000 units, down 34 percent compared to 913,000 units a year ago, with the volume adjusted for differences in the numbers of selling days for each period. To better reflect consumer demand for new vehicles, J.D. Power and Associates focuses on retail sales, which include only dealership sales and leases to private parties and do not include fleet sales.” (Source: PR Newswire)

I am curious how numbers are going to look come September and October of this year. Sales in these months in 2008 were down significantly so I am hopeful that we will see smaller declines. It would be nice if the double-digit decline in sales fall off and we see stagnant sales when compared to the same period in 2008.

Check back next week for the official February auto sales figures.

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Bentley’s entry into the alternative fuel market is the Bentley Continental Supersports. The vehicle is not simply this luxury automaker’s first FlexFuel capable vehicle; it will also be the fastest Bentley ever. That is right; the vehicle will come with 621 base horsepower, a 3.7 second 0-60mph time and a top speed of 204 mph. This two seater is also 110kg lighter than the Continental GT Speed.

“Available worldwide from autumn 2009, the Continental Supersports will be FlexFuel compatible in the majority of markets from launch with North American cars offering the capability by summer 2010, following regulatory approval.

The Continental Supersports began as an ‘under the radar’ project exploring the possibilities of weight reduction on the Continental GT but with more power and torque. A largely experimental process crystallised over a period of 24 months into an official new car programme, driven by the passion and enthusiasm of a small group of Bentley engineers and designers. “ (Source: Newspress)

I love the looks of the Continental GT and the Supersports does not disappoint. The car is absolutely stunning and while not everyone is a proponent of FlexFuel as a truly eco-friendly alternative fuel choice, it is a step in the right direction in my opinion.

Now for the eye candy.

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Filed Under: Flex Fuel

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI has received numerous awards over the past few months – from the Green Car Journal’s 2009 Green Car of the Year to the “Best of the Year” by MotorWeek. The vehicle isn’t just a street car, though. It is used in the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup, a ten round race series co-sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).

This year, the race circuit is going a bit greener with the use of B5 biodiesel.

“Performance testing has proven that diesel powered vehicles offer more low-end torque than traditional gasoline engines, providing quicker off-the-line acceleration that’s well suited for the race track. In addition, the Jetta TDI engine’s use of a “common rail” direct injection system improves fuel economy over gasoline engines and reduces sooty emissions by 95 percent, even under demanding race conditions. During the 2009 season, the Jetta TDI Cup cars will consume approximately two tanks of B5 biodiesel during race conditions and overall carbon emissions produced by the series will be reduced by 2,583 pounds as a result of the new fuel.” (Source: PR Newswire)

2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Schedule

 

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Filed Under: Volkswagen

The third generation Toyota Prius, available beginning in model year 2010, made its world debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The vehicle is on its way to Europe for its European debut at the Geneva International Motor Show, which begins in just a few weeks.

The Prius will be part of the show’s focus on alternative fuel vehicles. The 2009 Geneva show has dedicated Hall 3 to green motoring. Other eco-friendly vehicle news expected from the show include the reveal of the Mitsubishi iMiEV Sport Air Concept, an E85 Bentley and the European debut of the Fisker Karma S.

Toyota also has another surprise in store during the Geneva Show, a “world-reveal of a new European-built model at an international media reception hosted by Toyota the evening before the Geneva motor show press day.” (Source: Newspress)

This year will mark the 79th anniversary of the Geneva International Motor Show; the show will run from March 5-15.

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, toyota

Every time General Motors releases new details on its financial woes, people like me that are interested in the Chevy Volt wonder if this will be the day that GM scraps the Volt’s production plans. In December, General Motors announced that it would be delaying the construction of the Flint, Michigan plant where the Volt’s engine would be built.

Fast forward a few months and GM has released new information about the Volt engine facility – this time, the company has announced that it is completely cancelling the construction of the engine facility.

Automotive News is reporting that now, the first engines for the Chevy Volt will be imported from Europe.

“By December 2010, GM’s Flint South engine plant is expected to begin building Volt and Cruze engines. The Cruze is due in showrooms in early 2010, and the Volt is scheduled to follow in November.”

The existing plant will need to be upgraded in order to produce the Volt engine; the project is expected to cost $250 million.

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Filed Under: gm

In case you haven’t turned on a national news station lately, the State of California has been dealing with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit. A budget was signed this week but cities across the state have to cut back. The City of Los Angeles has placed the free hybrid parking on the chopping block.

“The council unanimously agreed to eliminate free parking for drivers of Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight or Ford Escape Hybrid models — a privilege in place for four years — on March 1.

The move could generate an additional $300,000 in parking meter revenue, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.” (Source: CBS2)

The CBS2 article goes on to report that all hybrids that park in a meter will receive a notice on their vehicle this month announcing the upcoming change. That certainly sounds like a waste of paper and human power.

The free hybrid parking is just one example of perks that hybrid car owners experience across the US.

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Filed Under: General

Honda is on the verge of releasing its all-new 2010 Honda Insight and just this past week posted some fantastic hybrid sales numbers. Since the inception of the original Honda Insight in 1999, Honda Motors has sold more than 300,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide.

Honda Hybrid Sales by Model/Region (as of the end of January 2009)

 

Honda will further enhance its hybrid model lineup with the introduction of the all-new sporty hybrid vehicle, based on the CR-Z design concept model, in 2010, in the effort to achieve full-scale market penetration of hybrid vehicles.

The 2010 Honda Insight went on sale in Japan this past week and will be introduced to European dealers next month and domestic dealers in April.

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Filed Under: General, honda