The delightfully contrarian sentiment comes whenever reporters ask what he's doing to be eco-conscious. His response is matter of fact and to the point; he lives on a horse farm, loves space and delights in the fact capitalism means he can choose what he drives.

"My goal is to leave this planet with the biggest carbon footprint I can possibly leave. First of all, I have to have trucks because I live most of my time on a horse farm, so I've gotta have trucks. It's in the northeast, I've got to have pickup trucks to move snow, number one. Number two, just if I'm driving, I don't have to have an SUV but I want a big car. That's why I love America. That's why I think we should save the auto industry. I don't care."

So that probably means he won't be drinking wheatgrass smoothies in a Prius while going to the Yoga Shelter. Thank God. [Starpulse]

Photo credit Time

The future of refuse handling is already here

Due to its productive personality, the Volvo FE has been recognized as a cost effective truck for city distribution and refuse handling. In 2009, the Volvo FE will be offered with a hybrid solution adding two main benefits: increased fuel efficiency and decreased emissions.

From a driver's perspective, the hybrid is also more pleasant to operate with excellent drivability characteristics and reduced noise levels.

A perfect fit for "stop and go" applications
Like the Volvo FM Hybrid, the Volvo FE Hybrid is equipped with a diesel engine and an electric motor. The latter powers the truck from startup and up to 20 km/h. At higher speeds, the diesel engine kicks in.

When the vehicles stops, the diesel engine automatically shuts down to avoid unnecessary idling.

Since braking energy is used to charge the lithium-ion batteries powering the electric motor, the greatest fuel saving potential is in applications with a lot of "stop and go" driving:
— up to 20% for refuse handling (up to 30% if the superstructure also rely on the electric motor)
— between 15-20% for city distribution

Low on emissions and close to noiseless
Any savings in fuel means equal savings in CO2 emissions, meaning that the Volvo FE Hybrid will contribute some 15 - 30% less to global warming.

The emissions of NOx and particulates are at zero level when the truck is operated in electric drive - and it is a very silent truck when accelerating and idling. These are both strong benefits when operating in sensitive urban areas.

Field test with customers
During 2008 and 2009, two Volvo FE Hybrids will run in daily refuse collection operations with the help of two Swedish companies.

The field test trucks are both prototype vehicles of the Volvo FE Hybrid that will be the commercial offer in 2009.

Volvo FE Hybrid Concept - Technical data
— Volvo FE with I-SAM (Integrated Starter Alternator Motor)
— Power 120 kW
— 7-litre diesel engine
— Volvo I-Shift gearbox

Translation

Why is it that moviestars can have ecological cars? (young man with leaf in hand). We make the moviestars look younger (makeup artists). The ones that manicure their pets (doggy groomers). We fall to the ground in your place (stuntmen). We want an ecological car (chorus) We try to marry you for your money (golddiggers in bikinis) We collect everything you touched (nerds and geeks holding up garbage and a drawing of a thong) The ones that clean this giant sign. (guys cleaning the Hollywood sign). And the ones that feed you (people in the videostore with dvd's). We, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, will finally have, an ecological car, HEY (giant crowd of people). Like all the movie stars, an ecological car, is what we want to have. (cars driving around). Is this reality or is it a dream? (young man). It's real Willy, it's real (talking leaf). I hope it makes more sense to you now.

[Source: YouTube]

Photo credit: Papalars

Swedes have long been accustomed to packing their berserker physiques and cases of aquavit into bulky, gas-swilling Volvo wagons and equally thirsty hot-rod Saabs when they hit the Scandinavian road, but that may have to change, according to this article in the Gray Lady. The rest of Yurp is getting all squinchy-faced over Sweden's love of carbon-crazed cars, laying some heavy guilt-trippage on the Swedes, and it may be only a matter of time before Sven och Agnetha are crammed into a new Mitsubishi Minicamino. Hmm... a retro-style Minicamino could be the answer to global warming!

In Sweden, It's Global Warming vs. Big Heavy Cars [New York Times]

Related:
Europe Considers Banning High Performance Cars [internal]

Since London and New York City are so damn interconnected, it was only a matter of time before London's idea of charging drivers to enter the city's core would spread to NYC's overlords. Now that time has come; Mayor Bloomberg has proclaimed that it's time to "... face up to the fact that our population growth is putting our city on a collision course with the environment, which itself is growing more unstable and uncertain." The proposal is for drivers of vehicles venturing into Manhattan below 86th Street to cough up some bread for the privilege: $21 per day for trucks, $8 for cars. Environmentalists like the idea, truckers and borough dwellers may not; look for a hard-fought battle over this one. We're just wondering if there's a Zamboni loophole. – Murilee Martin

NYC Program Would Hit Drivers With Fees [Forbes]

Related:
Something About England: London to Triple Congestion Tax on Large Cars [Internal]

Guess we'd better make other plans for this week, lest we run afoul of one pro-bicycle group that aims to shut down the Chicago auto show. The group, AutoShowShutdown.org recently launched a web parody of the Chicago show's site, on which they provided counterpoint to the show site's content. The group even rebuffed a cease-and-desist letter from the show's organizers, with the support of online free-speech advocates the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Their plan is to protest the show's "egregious display of automobile glorification" this coming Saturday, the first of the show's public days at Chicago's McCormick Place. Kind of reminds us of ourselves when we were wee lads protesting arrogant roadway bikers. Of course the only slogan we could come up with at the time was "We won't pedal, death to false metal!" Right, we didn't quit our day jobs. – Mike Spinelli

Press Release:

For Immediate Release

The Auto Show Shutdown Association is a group of individuals working to run the Auto Show out of town, and have a good time doing it.

[via Carscoop]

Related:
Environmental Screed Unintentionally Endorses Petroleum [internal]

Now we've all seen the tide turn, smashing the SUV against the rocks like a third-world fishing boat. If you drive one in Europe, you may as well have set off a dirty bomb in a schoolyard - such is the naked aggression towards the forest-burning, baby-seal-clubbing chariots of death.

Even the car mags take an apologetic approach to Mother Earth before turning in a favorable review. The green movement is winning. And that, well that makes my blood simmer to the point of separation. Because if we tolerate this, then our children will be next.

The SUV rampage has nothing whatsoever to do with fuel economy, the clean diesels on the far side of the Atlantic will do no more damage than the noxious protestors will cause on their way to yet another anti-something march in their beaten old Renault LeCar. It is automotive bigotry based on shape and heresay, the kind of rhetoric bullshit that makes it okay to invade Land Rover's factory and slash tires across Paris.

Now soccer moms that queued round the block for the Cayenne have abandoned their battle wagons, in case their neighbor spits at them. And they've probably shifted their order to the Prius - a rolling lie when it comes to economy figures, as any magazine that has tried to achieve Toyota's claimed figures have found.

Still, the facts are lost in a sea of screams and indignant rage. We live in a world where the loudest voice wins, not the most rational, as George W has proved with devastating effect.

And governments across the globe have bowed to this perverse form of eco-terrorism. The Mayor of London recently unveiled his plan to tax them out of the city, shortly before he was suspended for comparing a Jewish journalist to an Auschwitz prison guard. Even the Germans, the land of the free when it comes to raw speed, have declared war on a whole breed. It's working, too, SUVs are now only marginally more popular than Betamax, and Pauly Shore.

But here's the kicker. If the environmental lobby feels it has momentum, feels it has won a small battle, you think they're going to stop?

No, they won't, they'll spot that a Ferrari uses more fuel than an Escalade, even a BMW M5 at flat chat will drink a light truck under the table and a Bentley Continental could suck the desert dry on a long haul. And they'll keep coming until we're all going to work on solar-powered trains or worse, one-liter hatchbacks with some batteries strapped on them...

Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, then V12s, V10s and V8s of all descriptions will come into their maniacal, hair-trigger sights. In the true spirit of mob rule it won't even happen in a logical order.

If it works once, it will work again, so I say fight for the right of soccer moms to take one child to school in an oil tanker. Campaign for the nouveau rich kid to drive something so big it could wipe out a small metropolis when he gets it wrong and if you were even contemplating buying one, do it, even though it will handle like wet cement and get covered in pig's blood and slogans by an enraged vegetarian pacifist.

Because if we tolerate this, the sports car will be next...And that is a fate that should chill any Pistonhead to the bone. [by Nick Hall]

Related:
Hacker's Notebook: Ferrari Hits Its Stride [internal]