Recent Gas News/GasBuddy Blog

Detnews.com -- By Brian J. O'Connor

A clean diesel car can be good for the environment -- but will it end up cleaning out your wallet? With mileage that can be as much as one-third better than comparable gasoline engines -- hitting more than 40 mpg on the highway -- clean diesel engines can take a big bite out of your car's carbon footprint.

The new diesels are much improved over the models that appeared in the late 1980s, with lowered tailpipe emissions and quieter performance that refutes diesels' reputation as noisy stinkpots. But the premium cost of diesel models and diesel fuel mean they also can take a bite out of your wallet.

In many cases, it can take years for drivers to see real savings from the improved mileage of a diesel, notes John O'Dell, senior editor of the Green Car Advisor at Edmund  (go to article)

Bloomberg.com -- Hedge-fund managers and other large speculators increased their net-long positions, or bets that oil prices will rise, for a fourth week, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The wagers that prices will climb outnumbered those that prices will fall by 109,314 contracts in the week ended March 9, according to the commission’s Commitments of Traders report on March 12.

“The best buying came again from managed money covering shorts and getting long,” said Peter Beutel, president of trading adviser Cameron Hanover Inc. in New Canaan, Connecticut. “The economy looking stronger and equities markets moving higher are the factors pushing prices higher.”

Open interest rose 50,806 contracts to 1.3 million during the period, according to the CFTC report.
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Businessweek.com -- Crude oil declined for a second day on speculation fuel inventories may remain high as supply from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries outpaces the recovery in global demand.

Oil fell after Iran’s OPEC governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi said the market may be oversupplied later this year if the group, meeting March 17, fails to comply with output limits. A report today may show industrial production in the U.S., the world’s biggest energy consumer, was little changed in February because of harsh weather, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts.

“Global demand may be increased gradually this year but there’s plenty of available supply,” said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity derivatives sales manager at broker Newedge in Tokyo.  (go to article)

The Detroit News -- An initial investigation by federal safety investigators has raised questions of whether a highly publicized incident of a runaway Toyota Prius in California could have happened, saying they could not replicate it during testing.

According to a draft of the memorandum by congressional investigators obtained by The Detroit News on Sunday, a review by Toyota officials and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigators of a 2008 Toyota Prius has not be able to duplicate the incident. Last Monday, owner James Sikes said the vehicle sped out of control to more than 90 mph before a California Highway Patrol officer helped him come to a safe stop.

NHTSA and Toyota investigators inspected the vehicle and took it out for a test drive last Wednesday and Thursday.  (go to article)

dot.gov -- I have mixed feelings today as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration releases preliminary information about road fatalities in 2009.

(video)

First, I recognize that the data NHTSA collected indicate a positive trend:

•A decline in highway deaths of 8.9% from 2008 to 2009
•The lowest fatality rate--1.16 deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled--on record
•The lowest overall number of deaths--33,963--since 1954
•15 straight quarters of decline in the number of overall roadway deaths
Like NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, I am extremely encouraged by the news that the trend toward greater road safety continues.

But, I am also disturbed that we are still talking about nearly 34,000 preventable deaths a year.  (go to article)

wired.com/autopia -- There are some 1 billion cars on the planet, and when you get right down to it, they’re all essentially the same — a box on wheels propelled, more often than not, by an internal combustion engine. Get past the marketing and one’s as good as another.

There are a couple of sound designs that would last for ages. No car is perfect, but here are 10 that are damn close. They are designs that have stood the test of time, and if these 10 cars were the only 10 cars ever built, there would still be something for just about everyone.

We know you’re eager to get to the list and start flaming us. Before you do, bear this in mind: We aren’t saying these are the 10 damn-near perfect cars. You almost certainly have your suggestions that didn’t make the list.  (go to article)

Reuters -- HOUSTON, March 14 - Independent U.S. refiner Tesoro Corp (TSO.N) is evaluating the future of its 93,500 barrel per day (bpd) Kapolei, Hawaii refinery, according to reports in Honolulu newspapers.

The review is part of a general review of the company's seven refineries, which are based in the western United States, Alaska and Hawaii, and could lead to the Hawaii plant becoming a fuels terminal, the reports said.

The Honolulu Advertiser quoted Tesoro Senior Vice President Lynn Westfall as saying the Hawaii refinery lost money in 2009 and was continuing to lose money this year.  (go to article)

Reuters -- A federal investigation of the Toyota Prius involved in a dramatic incident on a California highway last week found a pattern of wear on the car's brakes that raises questions about the driver's account of the event, the Wall Street Journal said in its online edition on Sunday.  (go to article)

San Jose Mercury News -- Alas, shifting a Prius into neutral is not as simple as with most models, as my neighbor Emmett discovered. He's a technology lover, one of those guys who loves to figure out how things work and why.
He took his 2006 Prius through some neighborhood streets at low speeds and tried several times to shift into neutral. He failed the first four times before finally succeeding.  (go to article)

Consumer Affairs -- Variety of factors credited for continued decline in highway deaths....  (go to article)

The Sydney Morning Herald -- OPEC is widely expected to maintain its official oil production quota when it meets this week, with the cartel satisfied with the current level of crude prices, analysts said.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, whose member countries together pump about 40 percent of the world's crude oil, will likely keep its official quota at 24.84 million barrels a day when it meets on Wednesday.

"At the next OPEC meeting, changes in policy will not be necessary," with prices expected to remain at a "reasonable level" of between 70 and 80 US dollars, the cartel's president, Ecuadoran Oil Minister Germanico Pinto, said Thursday.  (go to article)

The National -- Iran has warned of a worsening oil glut and predicts OPEC will urge its members to comply with their production quotas when its ministers meet on Wednesday.

The second-biggest OPEC producer also said there was no need for the group to revise output targets that had remained unchanged since December 2008.

“If the current oil production continues, the oil market will face an oversupply in the second half of 2010,” Mohammed Ali Khatibi, the country’s OPEC governor, said in remarks reported yesterday on the Iranian oil ministry website SHANA. “OPEC will ask its members to comply with their quotas until the economic crisis is over.”  (go to article)

The Wall Street Journal -- NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Crude oil and gold futures turned lower in morning trade Friday after a survey showed U.S. consumers were less optimistic in March. Crude oil for April delivery was down 2 cents at $82.09 a barrel in electronic trade. It earlier rose to a high of $83.20 a barrel, lifted by the International Energy Agency's forecast for higher global oil demand. Gold for April was down 1.10, or 0.1%, at $1,107.10 an ounce, off a morning high of $1,119.50 an ounce.  (go to article)

The Economist -- Transport: Manufacturers are using a variety of chemical additives and new materials to reduce the environmental impact of tyres...  (go to article)

The Economist -- Natural gas is becoming less like oil and more like coal, which is a good thing...  (go to article)

Detnews.com -- Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co.'s latest internal employee survey shows morale is up sharply and employees' confidence in the company's future has reached an all-time high.

That is according to Ford's latest quarterly report card, a copy of which was obtained by The Detroit News.

It shows that 89 percent of employees have a positive outlook, compared to less than 55 percent in the middle of 2008. The survey was conducted in December.

"It's a very positive reflection of employee confidence in Ford," said spokeswoman Marcey Evans, who confirmed the authenticity of the report. "It reflects their confidence in our company and their confidence in our products."

The December results were 2 percentage points higher than the previous survey, conducted last June.

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Automotive News -- WASHINGTON - During Congressional testimony Wednesday, Feb. 24, Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized to the U.S. and American Toyota vehicle owners for any company safety lapses and vowed to change the way the company responds to customer complaints about vehicle safety in the future. The hearing was called to address public concerns about sudden unintended acceleration of certain Toyota vehicles and the company's response to the problem.

"I am deeply sorry for any accident that Toyota drivers have experienced," Toyoda told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He suggested that Toyota's quick expansion in the past several years may have led Toyota to focus too much on company growth and not enough on safety as the leading priority.
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Businessweek.com -- By Leigh Phillips

The European Union is to surpass its target of 20 percent consumption of energy from renewable sources by 2020, according to national forecasts submitted to the European Commission.

The EU executive found that overall, the bloc will achieve a 20.3 percent share of renewables in its energy mix.

According to a summary published on Thursday, 10 out of the EU's 27 member states are on track to exceed their national targets for renewable energy, with a further 12 set to meet their goals using domestic sources of renewable energy.

Excerpts

Europe's renewable energy directive sets an overall EU target of 20 percent and individual binding national targets. The bloc defines biofuels, biomass, wind, solar energy as well as hydro power as being renewable.

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Bloomberg.com -- Cnooc Ltd., China’s biggest offshore oil explorer, said it will invest $3.1 billion for a 50 percent share of Bridas Corporation, giving it a stake in Argentina’s largest oil exporter.

Excerpts

Bridas, controlled by the Bulgheroni family, has exploration and production operations in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

“Given China’s increasing reliance on imported crude oil and the nation’s robust demand in fuel driven by the rapid growth in automobile sales, it is a priority for the Chinese government and its companies to secure resources globally,”

PetroChina Co. in December won approval from the Canadian government to buy a stake in two Alberta oil-sands projects for C$1.9 billion ($1.86 billion  (go to article)

WIRED.COM -- By Keith Barry

When product designers at Seymourpowell sought to design a new luxury aircraft, they didn’t have a need for speed in mind. In fact, the Aircruise concept takes design cues from a high-end hotel, inviting guests to stay awhile.

Excerpts

Seymourpowell calls the ship a “clipper in the clouds,” and it’s certainly reminiscent of the golden age of flying on Pan Am’s Stratocruisers — but a lot more environmentally friendly.

Hydrogen provides lift while solar panels cover the top of the ship to augment the fuel cells powering on-board systems.

Though it’s strictly a design concept, Seymourpowell created a detailed list of tech specs and Samsung says the concept could be realized by 2015.
 (go to article)

WIRED.COM -- By Jason Paur

As stories of Toyotas suddenly accelerating as if possessed continue making the news, many are starting to wonder if it’s really anything to be worried about. History shows most cases of unintended acceleration are more often than not a problem with the driver, not the equipment. And it appears to be a problem most often found in North America.

Excerpts

The National Transportation Safety Board has received 12,700 such complaints in the past decade, according to Der Spiegel.

In a New York Times op-ed piece, Robert Wright calculates the chance of being involved in a fatal car accident in the United States during the next two years is 0.01907 percent. If you drive one of the suspected Toyotas, your chances increase to .01935 percent.
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Associated Press -- SAN DIEGO – A memo drafted for a congressional panel says that investigators with Toyota Motor Corp. and the federal government were unable to make a Prius speed out of control as its owner said it did on a California freeway, casting doubt on the driver's story.

The draft memo, obtained Saturday by The Associated Press, said the experts who examined and test drove the car could not replicate the problems James Sikes said he encountered.

Sikes, 61, called 911 on Monday to report losing control of his Prius as the hybrid reached speeds of 94 mph. A California Highway Patrol officer helped Sikes bring the vehicle to a safe stop on Interstate 8 near San Diego.  (go to article)

CNN -- Los Angeles, California (CNN ) -- When former in-house defense attorney Dimitrios Biller resigned from his top post at Toyota, he walked out with something potentially more valuable than his nearly $4 million severance package.
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He took some 6,000 internal documents, including memos and e-mails potentially damaging to his former employer.
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"Not potentially, they are. They are very damaging," Biller said.
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Biller, now entangled in litigation with the auto giant, defended the company in product liability and negligence cases from 2003 to 2007. He says he quit because of what he alleges were "criminal acts" by Toyota -- specifically, withholding information the company was legally required to turn over to plaintiffs' lawyers during litigation.

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Detroit Free Press -- General Motors and Chrysler aren't the only ones trying to bounce back from their bankruptcies last year.

The UAW also faces a historic challenge of rebuilding not just its membership -- which has fallen from a high of 1.5 million in 1980 to a historic low below 470,000 -- but also its image.

How low the union's image has sunk became apparent during congressional hearings in late 2008, when GM and Chrysler sought federal aid. Politicians, bondholders and others over the next several months lashed out at the union and blamed it for the automakers' woes.

"The vast majority of my constituents are not making anywhere near what GM, Chrysler and Ford pay their employees," U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., said at the time....

[ed - and who's fault is that, Senator?]  (go to article)

Detroit Free Press -- Fiat, the Italian carmaker that helped Chrysler emerge from bankruptcy, may wait to turn around the U.S. business before deciding on a share sale or spin-off for its automotive division.

The Italian company's stock has risen 21% this month on speculation that CEO Sergio Marchionne may carve out Fiat's biggest unit as a new company. Fiat executives have so far sent mixed signals about whether an initial public offering of the division will take place.

A separation of the auto manufacturing operations, which generated 56% of Fiat's revenue last year, would give Marchionne an entity to facilitate future alliances, and a share sale would generate cash for international expansion.

The maker of Puntos and Ferraris must show progress at Chrysler, which it owns 20%, before convincing ....  (go to article)

Mucrury News -- Marin County energy officials have filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission over what they claim are attempts by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to quash their plans to offer an alternative, cleaner energy source to county residents.
The Marin Energy Authority announced the complaint Friday, claiming that PG&E was violating state law by seeking to kill the Marin Clean Energy initiative.

The initiative, a program of the authority, is intended to increase the use of renewable energy in Marin County. It would also place the authority in the position of a competitor with PG&E as a provider of electricity in the area.

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Charlotte Observer -- Siemens Energy's 825-job announcement this week gave a big bounce to Charlotte's growing energy hub, which promises to help refocus the city's banker-intensive image.

Far fewer so far are the jobs in green energy, such as solar power and energy efficiency, that Gov. Bev Perdue and President Obama have touted. All but four of the 15 energy-jobs announcements the Charlotte Chamber has made in the past two years focused on nuclear or fossil-fueled power.
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The Miami Herald -- One piece of the American effort to find a way to make solar energy cheap enough that everyone will want it is unfolding in a modest redbrick building in this Midwestern city once known as one of the nation's top makers of glass.

Xunming Deng, a physicist, started a solar company in Ohio eight years ago as a spinoff from his research at the University of Toledo. He's attracted $40 million in venture capital, and designed and purchased manufacturing equipment. He now thinks that his Xunlight Corp. is on the brink of profitability and fast growth. It expects certification this spring and is getting ready to ramp up production.

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The Detroit Bureau -- A high price up front can save you money at the back end.

You can do the math the same way for any battery vehicle. Take the 2010 Prius. In real-world conditions, most motorists are getting around 45 mpg, which works out to (where’s my calcuator, ah…) 333 gallons annually. At $2.50 a gallon, that’s about $833 annually. A sedan averaging 28 mpg would use 536 gallons, at a cost of $1340. The annual savings? About $507. And during a 7-year ownership? A little more than $3500.

Now, there are plenty of other factors we could work in, such as maintenance, resale, and so on, but this is a good start for making a comparison. You’ll have to figure out the numbers for factors like helping the environment – never mind getting access to the car pool lane on your local freeway.  (go to article)

Chicago Tribune -- Months have passed since anyone has waved hello to one another in Waterman or Shabbona in rural DeKalb County. Some people claim they've even stopped going to church to avoid having to talk to former friends.
"It's gone. The country way of living is gone," declares Susan Flex, who lives in Waterman with her husband and their nine children.
The animosity stems from the greenest of energy sources: a wind farm.

The turbines started arriving last summer, at a rate of two a day, their parts trucked in on flatbeds. Today 126 turbines dot the county, with another 19 just over the border in Lee County. They have been making enough electricity since December to power 55,000 homes, roughly twice the needs of Oak Park.

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The Detroit News -- A California prosecutor filed suit against Toyota Motor Corp. on Friday, claiming the Japanese automaker knowingly sold millions of defective vehicles.

The first civil lawsuit of its kind in the United States came as Toyota told Congress that it has never turned over highly confidential internal company documents dubbed "Books of Knowledge."

The lawsuit also named Toyota Motor Sales USA and the automaker's Japanese and U.S. lending arms.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas' action deals a fresh blow to Toyota, which is struggling to recover after recalling more than 8.5 million vehicles for sudden acceleration concerns worldwide.
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St. Petersburg Times -- Sheriff's deputies arrested three people who they say staged an auto crash on Sheldon Road on Friday night.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is reporting that Amauri Perez Delgado, 40, Zoraida Domitila Zayas Padilla, 41, and Frank Lopez Masso, 30, met before the crash to plan how they'd carry it out. About 10 p.m., they staged a crash at Sheldon Road and Hamilton Avenue, according to the Sheriff's Office.

They were planning to get money from their insurance companies by filing an insurance claim with an unknown pain management clinic, their arrest reports say.

They were charged with participation in a staged crash and taken to the Orient Road Jail. Bail was set at $7,500 each.

The arrests come amid news that the number of staged auto crashes appears to be increasing.  (go to article)

SeekingAlpha.com -- Carl T. Delfeld

Excerpts

Developing countries, particularly China and India, are building fast and furiously.

"Environmental concerns are always an issue, but spent uranium fuel can be recycled safely, as is now done in France. Plans to use thorium as a fuel ...lessen the need for recycling since it burns much more efficiently than uranium.

One other benefit is that the by-product of thorium-fueled reaction is contaminated plutonium, which is unsuitable for use in making nuclear weapons.

"Thorium is also plentiful: the U.S. and Canada each have more than 100,000 tons of reserves...transition to thorium would also be relatively easy since it can be used in existing reactors..."

America is a significant player and Westinghouse Electric is building four nuclear reactors in China.

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SeekingAlpha.com -- by Eamon Keane

It's difficult to read an article on natural gas without the mention of the US' 100 years of natural gas supply. It forms the basis of suggestions for a scaling up of the natural gas intensity of transport and power generation. I'll look at the evidence here.

Excerpts

The Potential Gas Committee (PGC) arrived at similar figures. The 100 year figure originates from their latest report. The PGC figures say nothing about when and at what cost natural gas resources will be produced.

"I think it might not be a bad idea to examine the faith-based assumption that the US has a virtually unlimited supply of natural gas from shale formations that can be extracted at a low price for the indefinite future."

 (go to article)

The Daily Reporter -- A manufacturer and union predict more construction work from a state renewable energy bill, while business groups argue the measure would drive jobs out of Wisconsin.

The bill would support energy-conservation projects by increasing the amount the state charges ratepayers. It also would set a 2025 deadline for 25 percent of state electricity to come from renewable sources, such as wind or solar.

Supporters of the bill, such as solar panel manufacturer Helios USA LLC and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Wisconsin local unions, are rallying for the bill.

The proposed changes, especially the conservation mandate, mean jobs for electricians, construction laborers and pipe fitters, said Dave Boetcher, government affairs coordinator for the local unions.

 (go to article)

National Public Radio -- How do you double the value of a Yugo? Fill the gas tank.

What do you call a Yugo that breaks down after 100 miles? An overachiever.

Remember the Yugo? Jason Vuic would like to remind you of its not-so-illustrious story. The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History is Vuic's book on the tiny, no-frills, breakdown-prone automobile imported from communist Yugoslavia in the 1980s that is better known today as a punchline than a piece of machinery that might (or might not) take you from point A to point Y.

Despite his book's title, Vuic says that the Yugo is far from the worst car in history. There was even a time when the car ignited a sort of Yugo-mania in America. Between 1984 and 1992, Americans bought 150,000 Yugos.
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Physorg.com -- Part of the headache of having to constantly recharge batteries is not just how often they need to be charged, but also the time it takes to charge them. In a new study, researchers have proposed a charging method that could greatly reduce the charging time of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in everything from electronic devices to electric vehicles. The new method uses an additional oscillating electric field (besides the charging field) that should be capable of charging a lithium-ion battery in a fraction of the time compared with traditional methods......  (go to article)

reuters.com -- (Reuters) - British Columbia has given the green light to 19 private-sector clean energy projects that will generate enough power to supply nearly 218,000 homes in Canada's Pacific Coast province.

Green Business

The approvals, announced late on Thursday by BC Hydro, the government-owned electricity utility, mark the first phase in the provincial government's long-delayed push to generate more green power.

Fourteen of the 19 proposals are 14 run-of-river hydroelectric projects, in which river water is diverted through turbines to produce power without the use of dams. The remainder are wind power projects.

Combined, the projects will generate more than 2,400 gigawatt hours of electricity annually.

Another 28 projects remain under consideration, said BC Hydro, which will

 (go to article)

MSN autos -- Hybrids and electric cars are increasingly being called silent road hazards. So what should they sound like?  (go to article)

SeekingAlpha.com -- By Wayne A. Corbitt

There is an intense debate raging surrounding the future direction of crude oil prices. The bulls say the upcoming driving season will spur demand once again to give crude a push higher. They also argue that demand from China and other countries with healthier economies than our own will continue to soak up supply.

The bears argue that China is in the process of draining excess liquidity to dampen speculation and apply the brakes on an overheating economy. The bears also contend that with our "mirage" economy is so weak (just watch the employment numbers) that demand in this country will tail off.

In cases such as these, the proper thing to do is to not get caught up in these fundamental debates but to look at what the market tells us.  (go to article)

Physorg.com -- Excerpts

"Methane hydrate is an ice-like substance that is sometimes called “combustible ice”...
Methane hydrate is an attractive energy source due to its high energy density: one cubic meter of combustible ice contains about 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas. This high energy density is due to the fact that methane is trapped within the hydrate crystal structure and greatly compressed."

Besides China, countries including the US, Japan, and the Republic of Korea have plans to tap the natural gas hydrate buried in their territories.

Last summer, US scientists on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico discovered pockets of highly concentrated methane hydrate estimated to contain 6,700 trillion cubic feet of gas.  (go to article)

inhabitat.com -- by Ariel Schwartz

Eventually, we’d like to think that everyone will be driving around in all-electric cars. But in the meantime, it’s important to develop efficient gas engine technology. That’s where a new system from Transonic Combustion comes in. The California-based startup has developed a fuel-injection system that can improve the efficiency of gasoline engines by 50%.

A standard engine using Transonic Combustion’s system gets 64 miles per gallon in highway driving–even more impressive than hybrids like the Prius, which gets only 48 miles per gallon. So why is the system so effective? According to MIT Technology Review, “Transonic’s injection system varies from direct injection in two ways: it uses supercritical fluids and doesn’t require a spark to ignite the fuel.  (go to article)

MSNBC.COM -- by Bob Sullivan

We may never know why runaway Toyotas suddenly seem to be everywhere. The scariest possibility, however, is that faulty computers are driving some victims to their deaths with frightening randomness. Suspicions that an elusive software glitch in computer-controlled throttles is to blame, combined with powerful images and harrowing tales, has tapped into our primal, science-fiction fueled fear of killer computers.

Excerpts

Concerns about random computer errors are justified, Fisher said, but it's important to know that mechanical linkages also fail at random intervals.

"A cable could get kinked, the springs could get stuck, the springs could break. A stuck-open throttle could happen with a mechanical failure, and did happen," he said.  (go to article)

BBC News -- Prosecutors in California are suing Toyota, claiming the Japanese carmaker sold hundreds of thousands of vehicles that it knew had defects.
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The world's largest carmaker has recalled millions of vehicles because of problems accelerating and braking.
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Regulators have linked five deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems and are investigating dozens of others.

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FORBES.COM -- By Christopher Helman

Occidental Petroleum is the untrendiest of the big oil companies. Unlike its bigger rivals, Oxy has no refineries and no interest in Canadian oil sands, liquefied natural gas or deepwater prospects. The Los Angeles company is unabashedly partial to oil, with 73% of its reserves in crude; most operators are more than half natural gas.

Now Occidental ( OXY - news - people ) is breaking ranks in another way, by upsetting the commonplace view that the days of "easy oil" in the U.S. are over. Last year Oxy announced a new find outside Bakersfield, in Kern County, Calif., which is shaping up to be the biggest onshore oil discovery the U.S. has seen in three decades. It likely holds more than 1 billion barrels of oil (and natural gas equivalents) that will be easy and  (go to article)

FORBES.COM -- By Hannah Elliott

Of the top 10 industries that received the most consumer complaints last year, three were auto related.

New-car dealers, used-car dealers and auto service and repair shops registered almost 54,000 complaints in North America, according to the Better Business Bureau. They were the No. 4, 7 and 10th-most complaint-ridden industries of 2009. It's enough to make anyone blanch at the thought of buying a new car.

"Difficult times lead to creativity," says Bill Gerhard, AAA's director of financial services. "People come up with sensational hooks to try and get you to the dealerships, and once they lure you in, the goal is to sell you something and generate as much profit for the dealership as they can."

It helps to know what you may face before hitting the showroom.  (go to article)

Investors Business Daily -- Research director Gabriel Calzada Alvarez didn't object to wind power itself, but found that when a government artificially props up this industry with subsidies, higher electrical costs (31%), tax hikes (5%) and government debt follow. Fact is, these subsidies have the same "Cuisinart" effect on jobs as wind-generating propeller blades have on birds. Every green job costs $800,000 to create and 90% of them are temporary, he found.

Alvarez made no bones about the lessons of Spain for the Obama administration, which has big plans for "green jobs." His report warned of "considerable employment consequences" from "self-inflicted economic wounds."  (go to article)

Detroit Free Press -- Ford has long dominated the police car market, but will face more competition as it tries to hold onto that market share, even with the all-new Ford Police Interceptor that it is introducing today.
The Crown Victoria, introduced in the early 1980s, has long dominated police car sales and accounts for about 75% of the police car market with annual sales that exceed 45,000, Ford officials said in November.Ford confirmed last year that the new Interceptor will be based on the company’s Ford Taurus full-size sedan and will replace Ford’s Crown Victoria-based Police Interceptor in 2011.“The bottom line is they have a police car that defines the American police car,” said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham. “Police departments love it for a million rea  (go to article)

Houston Chronicle -- From enthusiasm for cleaner-burning natural gas and energy efficiency, to big-spending plans for carbon capture projects and renewable power, talk at the CERA-Week conference suggests the energy business is thinking greener.

“If you read the popular press, one would think maybe there's a pause button on climate change,” Patricia DiOrio, a director for IHS Cambridge Energy Associates, said during a panel discussion on Friday, the closing day of the conference hosted by IHS CERA.

“But I didn't see that here. The energy industry is very committed to moving forward on reducing carbon.”

A number of events have sidetracked efforts to pass sweeping laws that would put a price on emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the United States.
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Morning Times -- February was the busiest month yet for the natural gas industry in Bradford County, with 26 wells drilled over the month’s 28 days, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).  (go to article)

Detroit Free Press -- Korean battery maker LG Chem and its U.S. subsidiary Compact Power on Friday confirmed their plans to build a $303-million plant to make lithium-ion battery cells for electric vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt.

The plant, which is to break ground this summer, is to be running in 2012. By 2013, LG Chem expects to have hired 400 people for the plant.

"LG Chem's selection of Holland to house the company's battery cell facility was a balanced decision based on the city's excellent infrastructure and proven, quality workforce," said Jae Ham, senior vice president of LG Chem, in a statement Friday.

The factory is to be able to make enough lithium-ion battery cells for 50,000 to 200,000 vehicle battery packs a year.

LG Chem's new 650,000-square-foot lithium-ion battery plant ....  (go to article)