Hello? Is this thing on? We’ve been without Internet for a couple of days, but it looks like we’re back, and with a stronger Mbps rate, to boot. We’ve also been slacking on the cool, eco-friendly things Baltimore has been doing as of late, so let’s pause for an update.

Before Mayor Dixon resigned, the city introduced a fleet of DesignLine 2009 EcoSaver buses called the Charm City Circulator as part of an on-going plan to revitalize the city’s public trans., and there’s lots of rooftop gardening and urban sustainability projects going on locally, as well. B’More Green, the Baltimore Sun’s environmental blog, brought up a recent interview with Gov. O’Malley where he talked about doing more to strengthen solar power development and offer tax breaks for electric cars. The article also mentions the major budget crunch hampering many of the state’s green efforts, so who knows how far any of O’Malley’s plans will go. Hopefully he’ll do better for Baltimore as a governor than a mayor, not that we have much room to complain about his mayoral legacy in light of our current, rudderless City Hall.
But before we all go patting ourselves on the back about eco-friendliness, there’s also a story about how far the city still has to go: turns out local woman Maxine Taylor was cited last year for “having a driveway and parking pad made out of wood chips.” The city’s zoning codes still insist that parking areas have to be “dustless” asphalt, brick, concrete or stone block,” even as Baltimore’s Sustainability Plan hopes to engage residents in making the city a cleaner, greener place. Oops.

We’ll stop here, just short of jinxing our repaired Internet connection, but we’ll post again later in the week.

We’re back, as promised, with more book suggestions for our dedicated readership. Most fiction with an alt. fuels focus is sci-fi, so we’re not sure what to tell you if that’s not your thing. But if you’re reading a biofuels/alt. energy blog, you’re essentially telling the world that it is, so we’re not worried about insulting anyone with more traditionally literary tastes.

First up is Ben Bova’s Powersat; Bova has always been pro-space exploration, and this book’s plot hinges around “a terrorist conspiracy…to sabotage Astro [Corporation]’s plans to put satellites in geosynchronous orbit capable of beaming solar energy in microwave form to earth.” Bonus: the villains have ties to oil barons. Bova isn’t the most sophisticated writer on earth, but his science is plausible and he’s certainly a passionate environmentalist, to the point that he was hired as a consultant for Repo Men.

Along the same lines is Fallout!, by Lawrence Dunning; it’s about a disgruntled, drug addict scientist who plans to blow up a nuclear power plant near Denver. Yeah. Not exactly Gravity’s Rainbow, but what can ya do? Anyway, said scientist and another character discuss the pros of combined solar/wind energy around page 170, and lament the campaign against considering energy sources beyond petroleum and nuclear power. Don’t we know it.

Moving on, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Sixty Days and Counting has a plot devoted to the issue of global warming and resource scarcity - as Publisher’s Weekly puts it, “time will tell if the world has both the scientific know-how and the political will to reverse the ongoing rush toward an ecological precipice.” Discussions of environmental science abound without killing momentum in favor of a shiny hardware exhibition (an unfortunate tendency of hard sci-fi), and the idea that a Buddhist liberal eco-dork (the main character) could be elected president ever is just precious.

Finally, Lyle Estill’s Biodiesel Power: The Passion, the People, and the Politics of the Next Renewable Fuel isn’t a novel, but it does focus on the people in the biodiesel movement, exploring tensions between grass-roots activists/co-ops and their agribusiness counterparts. It also touches on ethanol’s technical properties, but this is much more of a Howard Zinn treatment of the subject than ethanol usually gets.

So there you have it. That oughta keep everyone busy for a while, us included. We’ll be back on Tuesday with some news updates, and maybe a movie recommendation or two if we can think of any.

So Porsche has officially said no to proposed hybrid versions of the 911 or the Boxster - hybrid components, they claim, would add too much weight, and sports cars aren’t meant for city driving anyway. Debatable point, but whatever. The good news is that Porsche does want to make an all-electric sports car, assuming it could meet the performance standards of a regular engine. Or, more likely, when the corporate yuppie fartbags who drive Porsches can be convinced to go electric.

But hybrids are making progress elsewhere. Peugeot is still in production for its 2011 diesel-hybrid vehicle, the 3008 Hybrid4 Concept, and both Mercedes-Benz and GM are following suit. “Both cars are mild hybrids,” says Fox News’ website, “meaning the electric motor adds power to that of the combustion engine, as well as restarting it from stops. But they are not capable of running in all-electric mode, like…the Toyota Prius.” That was…surprisingly vitriol-free for Fox. Huh.

Anyway, hybrids and other green cars have been a hit for American automakers, whose finances are still delicate after Detroit’s 2007-08 freefalling crash - The Daily Green reports that “Ford’s hybrid sales were up 147% for the year,” adding that “the Ford Fusion Hybrid is a hit.” Ford has been recouping its losses, ending 2009 with a full percentage point gain in US market share, and their stock price is now 10 times improved. Their success could partly explain why GM is gunning for hybrid and diesel-hybrid vehicle production in the coming year - both GM and Chrysler are still struggling. Then again, Ford could go nowhere but up - owners of the ‘93 Taurus understand what we mean here.

Still, this is all promising news for 2010. Keep sending us stories, folks, and we’ll keep reporting ‘em. There might be a list in the works, too…

As a follow-up to our last post about Obama’s electric car support, here’s an article from the Christian Science Monitor that makes an interesting point: many of the companies receiving federal money under the President’s initiative are battery manufacturers. Most electric and hybrid car batteries are foreign-made, even in cars assembled here, and Obama doesn’t want batteries to become the new oil, an import-only resource that leaves us dependent on other countries and colors our international relations. Not saying there will be battery wars or anything, but it is important that we produce at least some of these technological components here.

Although if there were battery wars, we hope America would seize control of the Giant Energizer Bunny before our enemies did.

Wow! Sorry we were gone for so long, but we decided to take a long holiday with our respective families and celebrate America’s birth by blowing up small chunks of it with fireworks. There was also environmentally responsible barbecuing. But there were also some alt. fuel developments while we were away, so it’s time for us to play catch-up.

First off, genetically-modified corn crop Corn Amylase has proven to be a boon for ethanol producers - specifically grown for fuel, it “borrows a heat-resistant protein from deep-sea bacteria to produce a kernel easily converted to ethanol without adding expensive enzymes.” It’s also been deemed safe for human consumption by the FDA and EPA, although Frankenfood skeptics are still wary of what would happen if Corn Amylase got mixed up with conventional grain to wreak havoc on processed foods. Can’t say there’s a big chance of that happening, given the separation between ethanol and food processing facilities, but after the Starlink Incident in 2000, the concern is understandable. Syngenta, the makers of Corn Amylase, intends to only grow the stuff in “closed-loop” settings, thereby removing it from any contact with traditional grain supplies.

Stepping away from corn fuel, the makers of Google’s G1 phone - not content with Google merely being a major investor in Tesla Motors - are developing an autonomous, self-driving car with “a glass-walled-like seating area on four hidden wheels” and no steering column, brake pedal, or driver’s seat. And since such a sleek, modern futuremobile needs a fitting name, they’re calling it the…ATNMBL? Really? Wow. Slicker than owl shit, those Google folks. The reason for this curious concept is the designers’ opinion that “today’s car industry is brainwashed by its own car culture,” which is an interesting point, but also an uphill marketing battle. Corn Car agrees with Neil Young about the car culture not being an inherently bad or wasteful thing, and that it can be tailored to fit environmentally safe ideas. Whether or not the ATNMBL fits that theory remains to be seen, but selling it as “a space for living” isn’t a good start - Americans have enough of those already.

And finally, McDonalds’ food might not be environmentally safe, but their company is getting there. They announced plans to open their first green restaurant this month in - of all places - Cary, North Carolina. A green McDonalds restaurant means not only eco-friendly materials, but electric vehicle charging stations. Not a bad idea at all, and I can see this really catching on with Sonic, whose car parks could be turned into charging stations so customers could order and eat while refueling. Plus, we love their chili cheese tots.

One of our readers sent us a video of comedians sharing their ideas on how to fuel cars safely and responsibly. This may seem frivolous, but comedians are the closest thing our culture has to public philosophers, so it’s worth listening to them from time to time. And we must say, the “douchebaggery” suggestion appeals to us; Lord knows there’s enough of it to spare, judging from what this topic brings out in people. Hell, cars could essentially be powered by AM radio under that system, so perhaps Obama could throw some money at R&D as long as he’s bailing out every other undeserving company under the sun. Anyway, click Erin Foley’s extremely dignified face to watch the video.

The Toyota Prius is, as we all know, was the first mass-produced hybrid car, and the 2008 model is the most fuel efficient car sold in the United States. It’s also become a archetype for pretentious liberals and rich hippies among conservatives, which is about to get worse because the newest Prius model comes equipped with cooling fans run by solar panels on the roof. Yes, Virginia, the Prius has gotten even more uppity.

The fans run when the car is off and locked, keeping it cool in hot weather and eliminating the need to rush for the A/C the second you restart the car. However, Toyota is still offering remote-control A/C as an option because of the high cost of the solar panel upgrade. The new Prius will also feature an improved aerodynamic design, which allows more speed for less energy, and redesigned headlights that use 17% less power than older models. Sadly, it doesn’t fly, talk, or bake cookies in the glove compartment yet, but it’s only 2009.

Besides, we like the fact that new Prius models feature a range of improvements, and that even the small tinkerings are more specific and noteworthy than changes in standard-engine cars. We’re also impressed by the across-the-board dedication to this technology, and it’s clearly a situation where competition is breeding improvements and progress, at least in this early stage of hybrid vehicle production. Of course, Rush Limbaugh will have a fit when he sees how much a solar panel upgrade will run the average consumer (which he considers himself to be, despite being a rich pill-popper who gets paid to do basically nothing), but if he’s that pissed off about hybrid technology, he’s welcome to return to the days of the Nash Rambler while the rest of us make a better world.

FINALLY.

As our faithful readers all know, Corn Car is concerned that talk of hybrid and alt.-fueled cars can get bogged down in retarded semantics about how impractical, ugly, expensive, and otherwise untenable they are when compared to regular cars. Now, we’ve already shared some ideas about how to appeal to consumers, but what about the auto industry? They’re the ones making the things, after all, and right now they’re stonewalling; they claim economic woes, but they’ve been achingly slow to progress beyond standard engines anyway. How do you reach people who both hate and fear change? Here are some ideas:

1. Require that some of their bailout money be spent on alt. fuels research. Auto manufacturers have been working the treasury like a slot machine for a while now. So have many troubled industries, of course, but they haven’t been as stupidly run as Detroit for the past couple of decades. Instead of just giving the auto industry money to continue making the same poor decisions and short-sighted mistakes it’s been making, which includes stalling on hybrid/electric car development, hang some conditions on those bailouts. They’re no strangers to extortion, so use it against them (in a purely legislative sense of course) to start building better cars that make use of newer technology.

2. Explain that they’ll have to hire people to build these cars. Hybrid vehicles have two motors and a bevy of electronics to power them, and electric cars make use of special batteries, and these will require a sizable investment, both in money and manpower. New people will have to be hired to build these things, in other words, and the employment opportunities created therein would be positive for both the industry’s image and precarious karmic balance. They’ll also need more technicians to design, install, and improve the electronic parts. The nostalgic, Ford plant assembly line imagery of a previous era might be gone for good, but the notion of the auto industry as a steady employer whose presence in the community is a net positive isn’t dead. It just needs an update.

3. Explore the marketing potential. American auto companies are currently lampooned as being outdated, irrelevant, and permanent silver medalists at best behind their Japanese competitors. By seizing new technology and developing it to its fullest potential, automakers can rebrand themselves as cutting-edge innovators with a legitimate hand in bringing the future to consumers. “Hybrid, electric, and flex-fuel cars began with science,” they can say, “but it took our industrial know-how to put them in your driveway.” Pair that with some plaintive acoustic guitar in the background and maybe a couple of happy blond children running through a cornfield and you’ve got yourself an ad. Hey, laugh all you want, it’s no worse than this Ford Edge spot.

4. Explain the bit about hiring new workers again, but with graphs and sock puppets. Auto industry executives, as history has shown, can be alarmingly dense. Thankfully, that’s nothing an informative puppet show can’t solve. Seriously. One of the interns explained the Biot-Savart Law to us over lunch that way. Amazing stuff.

5. Threaten to awaken Dread Cthulhu. We’re not sure what the current diplomatic relationship is between America and R’lyeh, but it’s certainly true that Japan, with Godzilla, Mothra, and Mecha-Godzilla at its disposal, has unleashed unimaginably horrific monstrosities upon itself more than once to spur production and lend additional incentive to its lagging industries. They do it without prior warning, but we, as the leaders of the free world, owe more to our citizenry. Simply letting Detroit know that we can harness the power of Cthulhu should be more than enough to get them back to the ol’ drawing board.

We’ll have more to add at a later date, but feel free to comment with any thoughts you might have. And keep away from Dunwich, just in case we have to resort to #5.

We decided, this being Super Bowl Eve and all, to post something manly today, so we’re talkin’ cars today. First off, China’s finance ministry is offering subsidies to companies that switch over to hybrid vehicles. Planned for 11 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, the new measure “would offset the extra fuel costs companies incur on ordinary vehicles [and] also promote production of hybrid vehicles.” Curbing pollution is also a goal, especially in a country that gains, by conservative estimates, about three bajillion new drivers a day. And, knowing China, the hybrids in question might very well run on a lead-based fuel until enough people get poisoned to force a recall.

Here in America, the electric car is poised for a comeback thanks to Tesla, a plucky young car company that promised an affordable electric car at the last Detroit auto show and is either cresting the wave of the future or bilking the gas-leery consumer in ways that even Preston Tucker would question. The press certainly seems to hope for the latter, as it would fit the current media narrative of the electric car as an impossible pipe dream. We’ve written about their still-in-development Roadster before, and can attest that it looks pretty cool.

There’s also the Fisker Karma to consider - sure, it’s a plaything for rich liberals, but it combines the gasoline and electric engines really well. “The standard engine does not drive the wheels at all,” according to CarJunky.com, “but merely functions as a generator to keep the electric motor running once the car’s battery has run out.” When the standard engine is fully engaged, it has enough pickup to separate it from the dorky economy cars it shares classification with. Plus, the electric engine can be recharged from a wall socket or from optional solar panels on the car’s roof.

Anyway, we’ll end here before this turns into Car Talk: Environmentalist Nerd Edition, but we’ll be keeping an eye on future developments with Tesla and Fisker. And Arizona, who had better damn well win tomorrow.

More good news for biofuel advocates: “Obama’s new energy plan calls for all new vehicles to be Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV) by 2013; FFVs offer owners the option of filling up with gasoline or higher blends of biofuels.” We might all be dead by the time America’s political culture finally accepts single-payer health care, but Obama seems intent on actually fulfilling his campaign promise to boost our alternative fuel production enough to shatter our reliance on oil, foreign or domestic. In fact, he might partner up with the Canadian government (assuming it doesn’t implode again) to really get things rolling with a North American agreement to adapt to the stuff. Helpful tip: it’ll be easier to get the Canadians on board if you try making ethanol from snow.

Now, one might wonder what’s keeping Obama on track with this energy plan of his instead of wandering off into other issues. The answer to that question, according to HybridCars.com, is White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who has long been a supporter of biofuels. In fact, the man some call Rahmbo “introduced the American Hybrid Tax Credit Act in 2005 to increase tax credits for consumers buying hybrid vehicles. What’s more, “in 2008, he sponsored legislation to mandate automakers to build 10 percent of their fleet with natural gas vehicles by 2018.” Neither bill went anywhere, but he’s in a better position to suggest these things now.

Of course, HybridCars also mentions that he’s some kind of crazy Zionist whose pro-biofuel policies are, in some way, a huge “fuck you” to Middle Eastern oil sheiks, and we don’t support that kind of speculation. But Rahm’s ardor for hybrids, plug-ins, and compressed natural gas has yet to be diminished, and it makes sense that he’d be the guy keeping Obama, who has a lot on his plate these days, focused.

And it helps, we suppose, that he’s a volatile, stabby lunatic.