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Cleaner Air For China

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For more than 15 years, the Chinese government has been grappling with some of the deadliest air pollution in the world.  Extreme pollution events are a regular wintertime occurrence and health experts estimate that more than a million people die each year in China from particulate air pollution.

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A Battle For The Automobile Fuel Business

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Energy giant BP predicts that electric vehicle sales will increase by an incredible 8,800 percent between now and 2040.  That creates a major business opportunity for oil companies as well as a real problem because demand for gasoline and diesel is destined to slow.

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The Fight For Greener Cars

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U.S. automakers have always been reluctant partners in the nation’s efforts to reduce air pollution and improve fuel efficiency. There have been struggles for decades between the carmakers and the government in setting Corporate Average Fuel Economy (or CAFÉ) standards.  During the Obama administration, some of the most demanding fuel economy and emissions standards were mandated.

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V2V And Safer Cars

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Automated cars are coming, but they face many challenges in sharing the roads with human drivers.  The on-board sensors in these cars are very effective in many ways, but they cannot see around corners or see through buses or trucks.  They won’t know if six cars ahead, someone has slammed on their breaks leading to a chain-reaction collision.  Of course, human drivers have the same problems.

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The Changing Face Of Air Pollution

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Air pollution in cities is a global problem that has reached crisis proportions in places like China and India.   In our country, since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, there has been a great deal of effort exerted in controlling pollution from vehicles.  A combination of pollution-limiting changes to engines, fuels, and pollution control systems has significantly reduced the amount of air pollution associated with the transportation sector.

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Green Tech In 2018

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Clean power gathered unprecedented momentum in 2017.  With climate problems on the rise, national and local governments are pushing for more renewable energy and the end of fossil-fueled cars.  Corporations around the globe are making major commitments to green technology.  Despite the Trump Administration’s open hostility toward clean power and its rejection of climate science, American states, municipalities and private companies are all getting with the program.

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Advantages Of Plug-In Hybrids

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Plug-in hybrid vehicles are ones that can run both on electricity provided by a power outlet as well as on gasoline.  There are many of them on the market these days built by quite a few car makers.  But these vehicles have an undeserved reputation as being the fig leaf of electric mobility.  Many environmental organizations and political decision-makers don’t consider them to be “real electric cars.”

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Transportation And Greenhouse Gases

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Power plants have been the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States for more than 40 years.  But the ever-changing picture of electricity production has changed that situation.  According to new data from the government’s Energy Information Administration, transportation has now taken over the top spot.

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Toyota’s Hydrogen Factory

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Toyota is one of several automakers that are promoting hydrogen fuel cell cars – electric cars that get their energy from fuel cells rather than batteries.  Fueling one of these cars is much like filling up the tank of a gasoline-powered car, except that the fuel in question is hydrogen.

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GM And Fuel Cells

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There has been a spate of announcements from major car manufacturers in recent times detailing their plans to electrify their future vehicles.  General Motors recently announced its “path to zero emissions” plan which includes the introduction of at least 20 electric vehicles by 2023.  They are joining Volvo, Volkswagen, Toyota and others in making such an announcement.

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Ditching Gas And Diesel Cars

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Electric cars represent only a tiny fraction of the overall auto market.  The numbers are growing, most certainly, but they are still quite small in most places.   The recent start of production of the Tesla Model 3 has attracted quite a bit of attention to electric cars, but in many countries, there is much more to the story than just media buzz about a new car.

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Exporting Emissions

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The Paris Climate Agreement seeks to reduce global carbon emissions.  The nearly 200 countries who signed it have pledged to reduce their own emissions within their borders.  And therein lies the rub:  the agreement says nothing about the impact their products have across the world.   For some countries, the problem is not so much the emissions they produce; it is those they export.

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A Hydrogen Sponge

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Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are just starting to enter the market but they have a long way to go before they can even catch up with their battery-powered counterparts. Powering cars with hydrogen has the advantage that fueling the vehicle is much like what we are used to:  pull up to the pump, fill your tank for a few minutes, and drive off. 

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WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)