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Vehicle Production Up, Few Green Cars

Posted by timethief • 5/22/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: automobiles, environment, manufacturing, motor vehicles

The world's auto companies are capable of churning out some 84 million vehicles per year, but only a small fraction meet efficiency standards.

Senior Researcher Michael Renner writes that, of the 8.4 million people that the auto manufacturing industry employs, a mere 250,000 jobs could be considered a shade of green. Read on for key statistics and examples of innovation in vehicle production.

Read -> Vital Signs Update: Vehicle Production Rises, but Few Cars are "Green"
www.worldwatch.org/node/5461?utm_campaign=vital_signs_online&utm_medium=ema...
State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy

User Comments

5/22/08

wehireu

Diesel cars need no modification to run on biodiesel. Most big rigs, trucks, and boats that are diesel can run on 100% biodiesel with very little modification. There is only a slight $300 engine modification to make a large number of cars flexible fuel E85 vehicles. There are over 1 million flexible fuel vehicles on the road. There isn't a lot that needs to be done to make an awful lot of the cars flexible fuel. There are not enough hybrid vehicles being produced 300,000 are being built this year. We could clean up a lot with the promotion of biodiesel for most trucks, fleet vehicles that run diesel, and encouraging diesel trains to run on biodiesel. This is an easy step to take, yet very few people talk about it.

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5/22/08

BennyGreenberg

I am not amazed at the non-green results. I think the car manufacturers are banking on the "fad" and will go on doing what they do until they are convinced that hybrids and green cars are actually viable for sale. As well - we are as responsible - the only way PRODUCTION can be up is if there are customers for the cars they are producing - simple as that.

Stop buying the current
Ask for the new and green

If you go to the dealer and buy the new Hummer every three years - they are not going to change the business formula that works for them

BTW: I have a lot of trouble swallowing the fact that production is up - because all info points to sales being down - so why would they make more - They may not be the most eco-friendly bunch - but they are not stupid

Ben

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5/22/08

timethief

@ben
"I have a lot of trouble swallowing the fact that production is up - because all info points to sales being down - so why would they make more - They may not be the most eco-friendly bunch - but they are not stupid"

This is what concerns me too. It's IMO an indication that they think North Americans will just continue to consume, consume, consume like there's no tomorrow. Together the two lack of green car manufacture and accelerated production of gas guzzlers are depressing indicators.

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1. 5/22/08
  
  BennyGreenberg
  
  I am telling you - those guys are not swallowing the whole green movement -
  And they are not swallowing the gas issues in the long term. They are banking on two things. Americans love their "real" cars and once this all calms down a bit - Americans have a real short memory...
  
  It is scary - yes
  It is also true...
  
  So it is up to us to make the difference - remember - they will wait it out... So we have to have the same resolve...
  
  B
5/22/08

timethief

I'm disgusted that more Americans don't get the underlying reason that the troops are in Iraq. I'm sickened by the numbers of non-combatants ie. women and children, who have died and who will die to appease the ever-escalating appetite of the petrochemical greed monster. This is not to mention the sacrifice of the young men and women on the battlefields, who will be forever damaged, whether or not they suffer physical injury.

I need to take a walk in the forest for awhile Ben. Catch you later.

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5/22/08

BennyGreenberg

Sorry Darling... Don't do Politics or Religion on open forums

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5/22/08

clioandme

The good news, TimeThief, is that Americans are in fact buying fewer big cars now. Doesn't mean the cars they buy are green enough, but it's a positive step. Another tidbit that I picked up on NPR (or Marketplace): gas consumption didn't rise at least once this year. Higher prices are having a positive effect. It's not dramatic enough. More needs to be done. But its a sign of hope.

No time to look this stuff up, though.

The bad news: Increasing prosperity in China and India means more cars there.

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1. 5/22/08
  
  clioandme
  
  The News Hour on PBS just announced that Ford is cutting production of its SUVs and trucks---might be by as much as 15%.
  
  Here's their website, though this was just in their news summary, so there might not be a story there: www.pbs.org/newshour/
  
  Haven't read it, but here's Ford's own news release: media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=28275
5/22/08

ericdknapp

I'm not a huge fan of bio diesel ... my philosophy is "if it's air, water, or food, leave it alone - we need it" .. but I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat if the pitch is true ... even though they look silly
www.aptera.com/

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