{"id":425,"date":"2007-12-20T10:29:32","date_gmt":"2007-12-20T10:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/cars-and-carbon-emissions\/"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:54:53","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:54:53","slug":"cars-and-carbon-emissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/cars-and-carbon-emissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Cars and carbon emissions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two good news related to cars and their significant role in carbon emissions came out yesterday. The first was the proposal announced yesterday in Brussels by the European Union to force car makers to meet the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 120 grams per kilometer (192 grams per mile) by 2012. EU officials told car makers to make “deep cuts in tailpipe emissions of the cars they produce or face fines that could reach billions of euros during the next decade,” wrote the International Herald Tribune<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the industry promised a fight citing difficulties in meeting the deadline and loss of competitiveness on a global scale. But the president of the European Commission, Jos\u00c3\u00a9 Manuel Barroso, said tough laws were necessary to meet goals and to show the EU’s intention to be a leader in carbon emissions reduction.<\/p>\n

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The car industry had been given a decade for voluntary action but so far failed to make satisfactory adjustments so now they have no right to complain. They make billions of dollars selling their polluting machines and they have to pay for it. Even though it is good news that Europe is taking such measures now, it is rather shocking that governments have waited so long to get tougher on car makers. Haven’t we complained about the effect of car pollution on people’s health for decades now? Because of its financial power, the car industry has gotten away with too much damage on society and it’s high time to put a stop to that. Forcing them to cut down on carbon emissions to curb global warming will have the additional benefit of protecting our health as well and that is potentially great news.<\/p>\n

Over in Japan, Honda yesterday announced its plans to “invest aggressively in research for hybrids and other new technology”, according to a CNN <\/a>report. According to the company’s president, Takeo Fukui, Honda will introduce a new hybrid model running on gas and electricity in 2009, with sales of 200,000 vehicles a year. The company will focus on getting hybrid sales to account for 10 percent of its sales by about 2010.<\/p>\n

Last month Honda unveiled the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show, announcing plans to begin limited retail marketing of the vehicle in summer 2008. The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by the Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. According to the a company’s press release, “the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car.”<\/p>\n

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