diesel

London double-decker buses getting makeover

London Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled new diesel-hybrid electric double-decker buses this week that are scheduled to hit London streets in 2012.

The new hybrid buses will get 10 miles per gallon which is almost 40 percent more efficient than a conventional diesel double-decker bus. London already has some diesel-hybrid buses in its fleet, but these newer models will be 15 percent more efficient than those.

"Over the next few months its mettle will be well and truly tested. But I hope that process will confirm we have built a real eco-warrior of a bus that can contribute to improving … Read more

The 404 829: Where money is the root of all evil (podcast)

Say what you want about Vin Diesel's current choice of movie roles, but we have to give the guy credit for his performance in "Boiler Room." One of Jeff's friends found a peculiar flyer referencing the movie at a job fair at Rutgers University, so we spend the first few minutes of today's show chatting about that, then move onto the strange phenomenon of Opera Software receiving e-mails from Oprah fans who can't spell her name right.

We're also excited about today's Google press conference, where it announced a new mobile payment system featuring NFC technology. Stay tuned for more!

The 404 Digest for Episode 829

Oprah e-mails sent to the Opera browser company. Tricked! Botox mom was lying all along! Google Press conference-- Google Wallet. Obama says hi on someone's phone. Stormy video voice mail from Rich in Cleveland.

Episode 829 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Can we drive 856 miles from England to Austria on one tank of fuel?

History is punctuated by epic journeys. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and chums rocketed almost 250,000 miles to land on the moon. In 2011, Drew Stearne and Rory Reid hopped in a Volvo S60 Drive and attempted to drive from Marlow in England to Mayrhofen in Austria on a single tank of diesel.

Some may argue our mission was less impressive than those of our predecessors--that we were walking on the shoulders of giants. The reality, however, was that our endeavor was far more difficult, as the distance between our start and end points was an incredible 856 miles and the theoretical maximum range of our vehicle was a mere 850 miles. If we were going to succeed, we'd have to boldly drive like no men had driven before.

Read more of "Video: Can we drive 856 miles from England to Austria on one tank of fuel?" at Crave UK.… Read more

Study: Electric cars, hybrids too expensive for most

Despite rising prices at the pump, many consumers are still reluctant to purchase vehicles with alternative power trains because of cost and misunderstandings about the new technologies available.

That's according to the J.D. Power and Associates "2011 U.S. Green Automotive Study," whose primary findings were released today.

The J.D. Power and Associates study was conducted in February and included interviews with over 4,000 U.S. consumers planning to buy a new vehicle within one to five years. It estimates that alternative vehicles will make up less than 10 percent of the market by … Read more

Photos of Mercedes' newest diesel released ahead of Detroit

The 2011 North American International Auto Show is still a few days away, but Mercedes became the latest manufacturer to release early photos of its 2012 S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC diesel sedan before its official debut.

The 2012 S350 BlueTEC is already on sale in Europe and this year becomes the latest clean diesel to make it to the U.S. market. It will be outfitted with the same 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 engine that's in the E350, ML350, GL350, and R350 BlueTEC diesels already on the market. Although specs for the AWD diesel sedan, in the ML350, the same … Read more

BMW sends plug-in Vision EfficientDynamics to production

BMW announced today that it's sending the Vision EfficientDynamics plug-in sports car to production.

The plug-in diesel concept coupe was revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and won the manufacturer several awards for its innovative design and clean technology. The Vision EfficientDynamics uses three power plants to propel the winged 2+2: a three-cylinder turbo diesel engine along with electric motors at each axle. The exotic can operate using its electric motors, diesel engine, or a combination of the two. Full throttle, the trio produces a total of of 328 horsepower and has a 0-60 mph time of … Read more

Rentech's synthetic diesel fueling A3 TDI road trip

When Audi accepted Green Car Journal's 2010 Green Car of the Year award, it may not have realized that a road trip was part of the prize package. Next week, two Audi A3 TDIs will travel down the California coast as part of the magazine's Green Car of the Year Tour, using Rentech's synthetic RenDiesel fuel to power their 2.0-liter diesel engines.

RenDiesel is an advanced biofuel made from renewable feedstock (in this case, woody green waste), but it meets the petroleum diesel transportation fuel specification, ASTM D975, around which automotive manufacturers develop their diesel engines. … Read more

Peugeot, Mercedes diesel hybrids en route for 2011

Once again, European drivers will have access to cars with better gas mileage than their U.S. counterparts.

Peugeot announced Tuesday that its 3008 Hybrid4 diesel hybrid car will be available in Europe in spring 2011 and will get roughly the equivalent of 62 miles to the gallon.

Many have been skeptical of a diesel hybrid, since a diesel engine's high torque does not lend itself easily to incorporation with an electric motor. Peugeot tackled that issue by giving the car two separate power trains that can operate solo or in tandem. The two systems are controlled together electronically, … Read more

Diesel option for Grand Cherokee? Not yet

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeep has no immediate plans to sell a diesel version of its redesigned 2011 Grand Cherokee in North America.

Jeep will begin exporting the diesel-powered Grand Cherokee to Europe early next year. But for North American consumers, it is "an open question because the business case has to make sense," Phil Jansen, the Grand Cherokee's chief engineer, said during a press event here.

At issue is how many U.S. buyers will accept the price for the engine and the system for the urea aftertreatment. The urea system is required to meet emissions standards … Read more