Ethanol maker Mascoma heads for the forests

Mascoma, a start-up developing ways to convert wood chips to ethanol, has said that it intends to build initial production plants in New York and other spots in the northeast U.S.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company on Wednesday announced a partnership with Tamarack Energy which will work with Mascona to site and develop the plants. It raised a second round of $30 million in funding earlier this month.

Mascoma is designing microbes and production techniques for making what is called cellulosic ethanol, a fuel made from woody substances like wood chips or grasses.
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Honda Motor Says Its 2007 Hybrid Cars Maintain U.S. Tax Credits

By Alan Ohnsman

Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co., the second-biggest seller of gasoline-electric autos, said buyers of its 2007 hybrid models still qualify for U.S. tax credits of as much as $2,100, more than consumers get for Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius.

The credits are $2,100 for Civic Hybrids and $1,300 for Accord Hybrids, the same as for 2006 models, Honda said in a statement today. The benefit for the Prius, the top-selling gasoline-electric vehicle, has fallen to $1,575 from $3,150 because Toyota's hybrid sales exceed the ceiling for the credit.

The income-tax breaks were part of U.S. energy legislation passed in 2005 to encourage consumers to buy more fuel-efficient cars and light trucks. The Internal Revenue Service lists fifteen 2007 hybrids from Honda, Toyota, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. that qualify for credits ranging from $250 to $2,600.
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Agencies line up for plug-in cars

Plug-in hybrids are getting drafted for government work.

State and local governments are launching programs to see if it's possible to convert their hybrid cars and trucks into plug-in cars.

Plug-ins are like regular hybrids in that they have both electric and gas motors. But they come with more battery packs, so the car can run more on electricity than on gas. They can get about 100 miles to the gallon, get charged from a wall socket and generally emit fewer greenhouse gases than conventional cars or other hybrids.

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Nissan plans to sell electric cars in 3 yrs: Nikkei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co. plans to develop and start selling subcompact electric cars powered by self-developed lithium-ion batteries in about three years, the Nihon Keizai (Nikkei) business daily reported on Sunday.

Japan's number-two automaker also plans to develop and sell gas-electric hybrid cars by 2010 in an attempt to catch up with rivals Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. in the field of eco-friendly vehicles, Nikkei said.

In co-operation with its French partner Renault SA, Nissan will speed up the expansion of its line-up of diesel cars, that are in growing demand globally, Nikkei said.

Nissan will also strive to develop bioethanol cars with the help of Renault, Nikkei said, adding that the Japanese automaker would provide Renault with fuel cell and hybrid car technologies.

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Toyota aims to commercialise hybrid car

Toyota Motor Corp plans to commercialise a diesel hybrid sub compact car as early as 2010 in cooperation with its ally Isuzu Motors Ltd., which is strong in diesel engine technologies, informed sources said.

Toyota has adopted the plan because a diesel hybrid car will be appealing in Europe, where diesel-engine vehicles are popular, and in Japan where gasoline-electric hybrid cars are gaining recognition, they said.

Diesel hybrid vehicles, which run on a diesel engine and an electric motor, are considered more fuel efficient than currently common gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, and cleaner than diesel engine vehicles in terms of gas emissions.

There are some diesel hybrid trucks in actual use, but in order to apply the technology to cars, it is necessary to reduce the size and weight of the engine and motor, and to lower prices as well, the sources said.

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Hybrid Driving Course Saves Gas

(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO Drivers of hybrid cars already save about 35% on their fuel consumption over regular gas-powered cars.

For the first time, AAA offered a course for hybrid drivers to get the most out of their cars, and CBS 5 went along for the ride.

For 42 years Bill and Jennifer Crabtree have shared just about everything: several homes, two kids, five grand kids and their latest addition -- a Prius.

"I look at it as the car of the future and I'm glad to be a part of that,” hybrid owner Jennifer Crabtree said.

This car of the future allows them to make fewer trips to the gas pump.

"It used to be, you know, once a week and now it seems like once a month,” said Bill Crabtree.

To make sure they are getting the best mileage possible, they attended AAA's hybrid driving training seminar.
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The 2 Types Of Hybrid Cars

Many automobile companies have spend millions of dollars each year in research and development of more efficient fuel consumption for cars. Each year more and more cars are rolled out the production plants and there is an urgent call by consumers and environmental groups to reduce the fuel consumption of automobiles.

With the increasing cost of fuel and the environmental concerns regarding harmful emissions of toxic gases into our atmosphere, automobile companies are forced to developed radically different types of cars. One of which is the hybrid car
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Big Oil headed for tougher Congress

By Ron Scherer | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

NEW YORK – So far this year, 40 bills have been introduced in Congress about alleged gasoline price gouging. Twenty-one bills have addressed windfall profits by oil companies. Few have gotten past the press-release stage.
But next year, Big Oil is likely to feel as if it's wearing one of those "kick me" signs.

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Ethanol boom bites as cars compete for food

By Isabelle Tourne

New York - A boom in the use of ethanol as a petrol replacement in the US has led to a surge in corn prices and changed the landscape for farmers now producing for both the food and energy markets.

Corn is the main crop used for ethanol, an additive in most US petrol, and in the "E85" fuels that some vehicles use, which have 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol.

The Renewable Fuel Association has forecast that total corn used for ethanol production will increase from 1.6- billion bushels in 2005 to nearly three-billion bushels by 2015 story continued

Most reliable cars

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Ford Fusion midsized car and its Mercury Milan sibling scored big in Consumer Reports' annual new car reliability survey, just beating out the industry's quality standard-bearers, the Honda Accord V6 and Toyota Camry V6.

But, overall, Japanese brands are still the ones to beat. Of the 47 vehicles with the highest predicted reliability, 39 are Japanese. Of those, all but seven are made by Toyota or Honda.

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Boycott Citgo & Venezuelan Oil

By Anthony Mangano



I would like to praise 7eleven for not renewing there contract with Citgo as there lone gas supplier. Although this might not put a major dent in the pockets of Mr. Chavez or end the arrogance that comes along with high oil prices, I must say that this without question put a huge smile on my face along with I'm sure many others. It was also a welcome sign to see democrats put aside partisan bickering and defend the president from the ugly comments that were made at the U.N. by "El presidente". I don't believe Chavez and his cronies were expecting such a major backlash from our leaders especially those on the other side of the aisle. I myself just ordered a few bumper stickers with the words "boycott citgo" on them. I'm prepared to continue my boycott until chavez ends his hostile attitude towards the United States and Israel.

I just wish that the U.S. was oil dependent and did not have to purchase oil from the likes of Chavez. What bothers me most is that they both come to the united nations and show no respect for our country and our president. The United Nations is a place to unite not to divide. I want world peace just like everyone else does, but with leaders that with ego problems we probably wont see world peace in our lifetime.

I myself would one day like to see Iraq , maybe even travel to cuba or maybe even Afghanistan, but with so much instability in the world today, that seems to dangerous to even dream about. Then you have someone like Kim Jong il. A leader who starves his people.Who wants to develop nuclear weapons so he can scare his neighbors like Japan and South Korea.I really do not understand why certain countries want to develop nuclear weapons.The United states alone can wipe out the world in probably twenty minutes.

I hope one day we can envision a world without the United Nations.Maybe we can take a trip to any place in this world and not have to worry.Maybe one day there will be world peace, but till then we can dream and pray, and one day there will be world peace.

hybridnation

High-demand Prius hybrid on some area dealers' lots

By MARY-BETH McLAUGHLIN
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER


Drivers seeking the Prius, the gas-electric hybrid vehicle from Toyota Motor Corp., now have the best chance of finding it on a dealership lot since it was introduced three years ago.

At least in some parts of the country.

A check with Toyota dealerships in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan found availability mixed.

Troy Maxwell, general sales manager at Kasper Toyota Scion in Sandusky, estimated that dealership has a 14-day supply. story continued

Time Running out for Taxpayers to Impact Their 2006 Tax Returns

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taxpayers wanting to improve their tax situations have just two short months to take steps to impact their 2006 tax returns.

Certain measures taken before Dec. 31 – such as buying a hybrid vehicle or paying education expenses early – could yield big savings when tax season comes.

H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) offers the following tips to help taxpayers prepare for year-end planning:

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GM Daewoo to Release Hybrid Car in Korea

GM Daewoo will introduce a hybrid car here at the end of next year. That will intensify competition among hybrid models in the domestic market after Toyota unveiled a hybrid vehicle here in September and Hyundai is to mass-produce a hybrid car here by 2009. GM Asia-Pacific president Nick Reilly was in Shanghai on Tuesday, where he said the carmaker will introduce a hybrid vehicle at the end of 2007 or in early 2008 in Korea. He added GM's first hybrid vehicle to be released here will be a SUV like its Winstorm model. story continued

GM to start selling hybrid cars in China

General Motors will begin selling hybrid cars in China from 2008 – making it the latest multinational automotive company to plan the launch of alternative energy vehicles for the fast-growing Chinese market.

GM will build hybrid cars in collaboration with its local partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, the US carmaker's chief executive Rick Wagoner revealed on Monday.

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