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Worldwide cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius—the world’s first mass-produced gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle—have passed the 1 million mark, with approximately 1,028,000 units sold as of the end of April this year*1. Currently, Prius sales are robust in more than 40 countries and regions, particularly in Japan and North America.

Based on sales figures collected up to April 30, 2008, TMC believes that Prius vehicles worldwide have contributed to a reduction in CO2 emissions (considered a cause of global warming) by producing approximately 4.5 million tons*2 less CO2 when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class and of similar size and driving performance.

The Prius was launched in Japan in 1997 and began selling in Europe, North America and other markets in 2000. In 2005, Toyota began first overseas production of the Prius in Changchun, China, and sales of Prius vehicles in South Korea are expected to begin in the latter half of 2009.

In 2003, the second-generation Prius, equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System II, was introduced with improved environmental performance and power. In August 2007, Prius G, S and S “Standard Package” Japan models achieved a fuel efficiency of 29.6km/l in the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s newly introduced JC08 test cycle. (The Prius S and S “Standard Package” models achieved 35.5km/l in the older 10-15 test cycle.) The Prius is also one of the first vehicles to meet the new 2015 Japanese fuel efficiency standards set out under the Law Concerning the Rational Use of Energy.

As part of its high-priority environment-management policies, Toyota has made a concerted effort to promote and popularize hybrid technology, chiefly through the Prius. And as hybrid technology can be applied to a wide range of vehicles, Toyota aims to sell 1 million or more hybrid vehicles annually as early as possible in the 2010s.

*1. Based on TMC data
*2. Number of registered vehicles distance traveled actual fuel efficiency in each country CO2 conversion factor

Wolfsburg, 28 May 2008 - Agreement has been reached on a co-operation which sees Volkswagen joining forces with Sanyo, one of the world’s leading developers of rechargeable batteries, to work on new and extremely efficient high-performance storage systems based on lithium-ion technology.

“Our focus in future,” says Prof Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, “will be directed more strongly at making electrically powered automobiles alongside ones driven by more efficient combustion engines. Drivetrain electrification is the way forward if we wish to secure mobility in tomorrow’s world. This will involve energy recovery. The whole idea will be to no avail, however, as long as we do not have powerful energy storage systems at our disposal and as long as vehicle operations are not in tune with customer demands. This cooperation is an important step for us,” Winterkorn adds.

Emissions-free travel in an all-electric operating modus is already possible today, though only at limited speeds and over short distances. That makes it all the more important to develop new accumulators with the capacity, size, weight and cost attributes which will enable them to be used more efficiently in tomorrow’s automobiles. Lithium-ion technology, already very successfully used in communications electronics and portable computers, has the potential to satisfy even the particularly exacting demands placed on electro-traction systems in motor vehicles.

Back in March, at the Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen showcased its Golf TDI Hybrid design study, which demonstrated just how much potential for energy reduction there is when you combine high-tech-diesel, electric-drive and 7-speed-DSG technology. Conceived as a powerful full-hybrid vehicle, the Golf TDI Hybrid can be operated using combustion-engine power only or using a combination of combustion and electric drive or using E-drive – i.e. the powerful and energy-efficient combination of TDI technology and an electric motor. The A1 project quattro presented by Audi at the most recent Tokyo Motor Show features a powertrain already designed to cover a distance of 100 km using this innovative storage method. The Group hopes to be able to employ lithium-ion technology in its first vehicles by 2010.

Google, along with the Brookings Institution, is sponsoring a conference to discuss plug-in hybrid automobiles. In addition to the conference Google has put out a call for videos. According to the Google.org website, “Would you like to drive a plug-in car or truck? Create a video telling us why. If you already own one, create a video showing us how it works. Post your video on YouTube no later than June 4, 2008. We will show some of the most informative, original and funniest videos at the conference.”

Those who can’t make it to the conference can view the conference via webcast at http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/index.html.

Description: The conference will place a spotlight on plug-in electric vehicles, examining their potential, their viability, and the pros and cons of different federal policies to promote them.

Date: June 11-12, 2008

Place: Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington DC

Links: Registration, Agenda, Google Announcement, Brookings Institution

© Robert J. Safuto - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.

Notable clean energy investments for the week of May 18, 2008.

Iberdrola commits $8B investment to U.S. cleantech sector “Spanish utility and renewable heavyweight Iberdrola has revealed that it will invest a hefty $8 billion in the American cleantech sector over the next 3 years. Though it plans on focusing most of its investment activities in the U.S.’s burgeoning wind sector, it also hopes to gain a foothold in the country’s other clean energy markets.”

First Wind Energy Co. IPO Planned In US “In a first-ever for the U.S., a company focused entirely on wind energy is planning to come public, with Noble Environmental Power Inc. registering an IPO to list on the Nasdaq later this year.Based in Essex, Conn., Noble Environmental registered earlier this month with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise as much as $375 million through an initial public offering.”

Follow all of the clean energy investment news that I pick up around the web by bookmarking my link account at http://del.icio.us/cleanenergydigest/investments.

© Robert J. Safuto - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.

Here are some notable clean energy news items for the week of May 18, 2008.

Biopower Systems Builds Ocean Power Technologies “Yet Sydney, Australia, based BioPower Systems, in seeking to prove the old dictum that you can’t improve on nature, has done just that: building two ocean power conversion systems modeled around a shark’s fin and a sea plant’s fronds.”

We Energies turns on Fond du Lac County wind farm “We Energies said that it placed 88 turbines at its $300 million Fond du Lac County wind power development into commercial service Monday, marking the launch of a renewable energy source that’s expected to power 36,000 homes.”

Stantec Bringing Solar and Wind Energy to Brooklyn Navy Yard “Stantec today announced that a new, 89,000-square-foot building under construction at the Brooklyn Navy Yard will feature energy-saving solar and wind-generated power as part of a renewable energy pilot program.”

World’s largest smart meter group set up “A private investment group today launched the world’s largest smart metering company under the Landis+Gyr brand to capitalise on a worldwide push toward greater energy efficiency.”

South Africa switches on 1st wind farm “South Africa’s energy minister inaugurated the country’s first wind farm Friday, acknowledging that the government has done too little to develop renewable energy over the past decade.”

More items on the news page. Follow all of the clean energy news that I pick up around the web by bookmarking my link account at http://del.icio.us/cleanenergydigest.

© Robert J. Safuto - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.

Next generation biofuels could decimate tropical forests says a leading ecologist from the University of Minnesota.

I really enjoy trying new things in the garden. It makes my friends and neighbors consider my vegetable garden as "weird". For me though, the weirder the better. People think its odd that I grow white and black tomatoes, that I use strange methods for supporting those tomatoes, that I don't garden in rows and that I grow many things up tall trellises.My new "weird" thing in the garden is growing

Next generation biofuels could decimate tropical forests says a leading ecologist from the University of Minnesota.

This is so important that you should read the entire article and Dr. Mercola’s comments. If the Chinese government was at war with the US they would only have to do what they are doing to win over time.
The Roman empire reputedly fell due to lead poisoning in their eating and drinking utensils, i.e. they were driven mad and thus incapable of defending themselves properly.

Lead in children’s toys and cell phones; now pharmaceuticals and many other food products are being off loaded secretly to China. Do they really have our best interests at heart? You tell us. In the meantime, better look for other sources like Canada and maybe some European companies. When China gets their act together, and the FDA finally decides to represent the best interests of Americans, then we can think about given both another chance. Right now, it is playing Russian Roulette, or should be say Chinese Roulette?

"An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year from drugs that, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and properly administered. More than 2 million more suffer serious side effects.”

Dirty Drug Industry Secret: Their Pills are Made in China


“Foreign drugs were dangerous, the FDA warned, because they were not subjected to rigorous quality control requirements -- the implication being, of course, that brand-name pharmaceuticals sold in the United States are not contaminated.This has been proven to be yet another lie. Heparin, a blood-thinning drug made by Baxter International, was recently discovered by consumers to be manufactured in China, where the quality controls were so low that this FDA approved, brand-name drug was apparently deliberately contaminated with an adulterated chemical. It has now resulted in the death of dozens of consumers in the United States. The very scenario dreamed up by the FDA to warn consumers away from pharmaceuticals purchased in Canada or Mexico turns out to be true -- for a brand-name drug sold at monopoly prices in the United States.The FDA has not inspected 93 percent of the factories that manufacture pharmaceuticals outside the United States, and many of the pharmaceuticals manufactured for U.S. drug companies are contaminated with metal parts from the gears of processing machines or flecks of paint from factory walls.Many brand-name drugs are NOT tested for contaminants before being sold to consumers in the United States, Canada and other countries, regardless of where they were manufactured.”

Dirty Drug Industry Secret: Their Pills are Made in China


"Trust no one...at least in government." Paraphrasing the X-files.

I've added updated my pages to my Connective Tissue Disorder Site on irritable bowel syndrome and the links to diet and fungal infections. In general, the tips I personally found helpful are to: 1) eat mainly cooked foods; 2) cut out sugar; 3) cut out most dairy except for yogurt with active cultures; 4) eat a lot of soup with nonstarchy vegetables, beans and meat; 5) cut buck on grains; 6)