(Source:  Google.org)

RechargeIT is a Google.org initiative that aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use, and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. We have a demonstration fleet of plug-ins at our headquarters in Mountain View, and we’re collecting and posting data on plug-in performance, investing in innovative technologies, and advocating for the passage of important legislation. Our vision is that one day thousands of cars will be plugging into a greener grid.

We’ve had our RechargeIT plug-ins on the road for about a year now, collecting data when driven by Google employees in our free car-share program. But we wanted to see how they would perform in a controlled test. The results of our seven-week driving experiment are in – and the plug-ins did great, getting as much as 93 MPG average across all trips, and 115 MPG for city trips! See the full results to explore detailed data from the experiment. (And check back often as we’ll be posting even more comprehensive data from our test over the next few weeks.)

RechargeIT Driving Experiment

Electricity usage for plug-in vehicles: 
Ford Escape Plug-In 133.2 Wh/mi, Toyota Prius Plug-in 139.6 Wh/mi

Click here to explore this on-going Google Initiative.

(Via istockanalyst.com)

Logo: http://www.energyintel.com

Energy Intelligence, a leading publisher of energy information services, today launched a new web portal, Obama Energy Vision, to track the evolution of US energy policy under President Barack Obama, at: http://www.energyintel.com/obama

Rating the energy sector second only to the economy in his priorities, the new president is pursuing a radical vision of a new energy economy, which includes reducing US dependence on foreign oil, restructuring the transport sector, developing alternative energies and addressing climate change. If successful, the policy will amount to a revolution for the energy industry, with repercussions around the world. Key aspects of Obama’s foreign policy also have important implications for the energy industry.

To read entire article, click here

Once Flush Global Economies, Energy Projects Slow

(Via Washington Post)

 

A worker monitors an automated manifold as it directs oil in Cushing, Okla. (By Shane Bevel — Bloomberg News)

Extracts from the article:

“The precipitous fall in the price of oil in recent months, while good for consumers, has contributed to the confusion in the global economy, wreaking havoc with the budgets and economies of oil exporting nations and putting many expensive energy projects on hold.”

“Just one year ago, the price of oil finished trading at more than $100 a barrel for the first time, fueling speculation about a new era of oil prices. Yesterday, oil finished trading in New York at $39.15 a barrel, and that, after surging 13 percent for the day.

The overwhelming cause of the collapse in oil prices has been the faltering world economy, which has fueled the drop in consumption.

Oil use in China, which most forecasters a year ago assumed would be the engine for increasing global demand, has screeched to a halt. Paul Ting, an independent oil analyst, says preliminary estimates suggest that petroleum consumption in China fell more than 6 percent in January compared with the month in 2008. Crude oil imports hit a 14-month low, he said.

In the United States, where passenger vehicles use about one of nine barrels produced worldwide, strapped motorists in December traveled less than they did a year ago, even though gasoline prices are more than a $1 a gallon cheaper.

The Federal Highway Administration said it was the 14th consecutive month in which American motorists drove fewer miles. In 2008, U.S. motorists drove 3.6 percent less, or 107.9 billion fewer miles, than in 2007, the FHA said. Total miles driven, which normally rise every year with the population and number of cars on the road, fell slightly below 2004 levels.”

Oil below $35 amid grim US economic news

 

“SINGAPORE – Oil prices wallowed below $35 a barrel Thursday in Asia as grim U.S. economic news pointed to a deep recession and weaker crude demand. Light, sweet crude for March delivery rose 3 cents to $34.65 a barrel by midday in Singapore on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract on Wednesday fell 31 cents to settle at $34.62. The March contract expires on Friday, and traders switched their focus to the April contract, which rose 14 cents to $37.55.  The Federal Reserve on Wednesday confirmed what many investors already suspected — that the U.S. economy has significantly deteriorated in the last few months. “

Found this article last night on Yahoo News.  It begs the question, why the heck are we still paying $2.00+/gallon when the crude prices are dwindling so rapidly?  Are the refiners buying and stocking crude at such low prices so that they can continue to sell at the same rate when the demand spikes?  I thought OPEC was the biggest mafia/cartel, but I guess the refineries have beat them silly on this strategy..