Ford Uses Kenaf Plant Inside Doors in the All-New Escape, Saving Weight and Energy

Drivers of the all-new Ford Escape may be surprised to find out there is a plant inside the door.

Ford Motor Company announced it has started using oil from a tropical plant called Kenaf, to replace some of the petroleum-based oil that used to appear in door bolsters.

Specifically, Ford will be incorporating Kenaf into the door bolsters of the all-new Escape, saving weight and energy.

A little more on Kenaf... Kenaf is a tropical plant that looks similar to bamboo and is related to cotton. It is also used in eco-friendly cosmetics and the fiber is an alternative to wood for paper and cardboard.

· Kenaf, a tropical plant related to cotton and okra plants, is being used to replace oil-based materials in the doors of the all-new Ford Escape

· Use of this eco-friendly material is anticipated to offset 300,000 pounds of oil-based resin annually in North America

· Kenaf reduces the weight of the door bolsters by 25 percent and improves fuel economy

· Kenaf is also used in cosmetics and kenaf fiber is an alternative to wood to make paper and cardboard; its leaves are edible

“Kenaf and the other renewable materials in the Escape have made the vehicle more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient,” said Laura Sinclair, materials engineer for Escape.

Kenaf oil is used in cosmetics and kenaf fiber is used as an alternative to wood in the production of paper. The upper leaves and shoots of the plant are edible.

The kenaf is combined with polypropylene in a 50-50 mixture inside the door of the Escape. International Automotive Components (IAC) manufactures the door bolsters in Greencastle, Ind.

Kenaf part of a greener Escape

The new Escape, which will be available to customers this spring, features several eco-friendly components in addition to the kenaf inside the doors.

Materials that are recycled, renewable, and that reduce impact on the environment include soy foam in the seats and head restraints; plastic bottles and other post-consumer and post-industrial materials in the carpeting; climate control gaskets made from recycled tires; and more than 10 pounds of scrap cotton from the making of denim jeans.

Wide use of more environmentally friendly, recycled and recyclable materials complements the projected best-in-class fuel economy of the all-new Ford Escape, further boosting the vehicle’s environmentally responsible credentials. The new Escape meets the USCAR Vehicle Recycling Partnership goal that 85 percent of the vehicle is recyclable.

Source: Ford Motor Company,

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 26, 2012 –

Be a Part of PACE

Beginning today, an innovative energy-smart finance program for homeowners – called Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE – has a chance for revival. Over the next 60 days (until March 26th, 2012), a broad bipartisan coalition of business leaders, environmentalists, property owners and federal, state, and local policymakers will finally have a chance to make their voices heard and explain to federal regulators why PACE makes economic and environmental sense.

The PACE Saga

PACE programs, run by towns or counties, enable property owners to finance the initial cost of energy efficiency improvements or small scale renewable energy projects and pay them off in small increments that are added to property taxes over an extended period of up to 20 years. Participation in PACE programs is entirely voluntary and from the start, homeowners can save more on their energy bills than the cost of the payments thanks to the clean energy projects. Improvements financeable under PACE can include better insulation, more efficient windows, more efficient heating and cooling systems, and solar panels.

Because of the economic and environmental benefits PACE could provide, PACE programs were supported by wide range of stakeholders: from labor unions to Fortune 500 companies and environmental groups. Starting in 2008, over 27 states and the District of Columbia passed PACE enabling legislation and a large number of municipalities in those states started or were preparing to launch PACE programs locally.

However, nearly all existing PACE programs were halted in July 2010, when the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued instructions to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the national banks that effectively froze PACE financing programs nationwide. The result was millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds in limbo, thousands of jobs implementing the projects left on the drawing board, and economic development plans and climate change goals across the country on hold. Lawsuits and proposed legislation followed, in addition to widespread frustration that the regulators had failed to consider the full range of implications of their actions. You can read about the status of the lawsuits at my colleague Kit Kennedy’s blog.

As described in more detail in Kit’s post today, a court order has forced FHFA to post an “advanced notice of proposed rulemaking.” FHFA now must turn back the clock on their rulemaking and provide public notice in the Federal Register of their intent to propose a rule on PACE and allow the public 60 days to comment and provide their perspectives on PACE.

NRDC, together with PACENow and a broad bi-partisan coalition, are now working hard to ensure that PACE’s supporters make their voices heard and that FHFA properly considers them. The regulators’ initial July 2010 attack on PACE was a backdoor surprise attack. Now, the chance to submit comments on the FHFA’s position on PACE could breathe new life into an important vehicle for jobs, the economy, and the environment.

Go to PACENow for more information about how to comment and be a part of PACE’s revival, and see the FHFA’s Federal Register posting for information on how to submit comments. Please make your voice heard to revive PACE!!!

Ultra-sustainable zHome becomes the first community of WaterSense labeled new homes in the Nation

(Seattle – Jan. 25, 2012) zHome – the ultra-sustainable, 10-unit townhome development in Issaquah, WA that is redefining the future of housing – is also the first community in the Nation in which every home has earned the WaterSense label for new homes.

EPA’s WaterSense program is modeled after its highly successful Energy Star program. The goal of WaterSense is to significantly reduce water use nationwide to save water resources for future generations.

A home that is certified to earn the WaterSense label will use at least 20 percent less water than a standard, newly-constructed home and the high-efficiency WaterSense labeled fixtures perform as well or better than their traditional counterparts.

The benefits of the certification include:

Lower utility bills for future residents

Reduced strain on water and wastewater systems

More water left in streams and aquifers for salmon, recreation and other uses

Fewer greenhouse gas emissions due to reduced energy demands from water treatment and delivery

zHome was designed to push the limits of sustainable, production housing. It is the first townhome, zero-energy, carbon-neutral community in the United States, and also received the Forest Stewardship Council’s 2011 award for the best residential project in North America.

In addition, zHome strove to demonstrate a multitude of water-efficient technologies, with a net reduction of 70 percent in potable water use compared to a typical King County home. Cascade Water Alliance provided WaterSense labeled toilets, showerheads, and bathroom faucets, as well as innovative, real-time use monitors for every unit to ensure maximum efficiency. Each zHome unit also includes a rainwater harvesting tank (ranging in size from 1,000- to 1,800-gallons) that is used for clothes washing and toilet flushing.

“EPA is proud to recognize the zHome project, built and developed by Ichijo USA and Seattle builder Matt Howland, as one of the leaders in the Pacific Northwest in helping to advance water efficiency,” said Paula vanHaagen, EPA’s Manager, Grants and Planning Unit in Seattle.

zHome was brought to life through a highly collaborative public/private partnership spearheaded by the City of Issaquah, in conjunction with Built Green, King County, Port Blakely Communities, Puget Sound Energy and the Washington State University Energy Program.

“We are extremely excited that the zHome units received the new WaterSense New Homes certification,” said Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger. “We hope zHome inspires homebuilders and homeowners to take advantage of the same water-saving benefits with their projects.”

Cascade Water Alliance, a long-time WaterSense promotional partner, is a non-profit corporation with the goal of providing safe, clean, and reliable water to its 400,000 residents and 22,000 businesses. Cascade is made up of the cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, Tukwila, the Covington Water District, and the Sammamish Plateau and Skyway Water and Sewer Districts.

To find out more about Cascade Water Alliance, visit: www.cascadewater.org
To find out more about WaterSense, visit: www.epa.gov/watersense
To find out more about zHome, visit: www.z-home.org

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355

[calcars-news] Volt Safety Confirmed; New PHEVs Announced; Countering Media Misinformation

By: Felix Kramer, Calcars.org

January brings good news about the resolution of issues about Volt safety, announcements of many new PHEVs to come, many new sources of anti-plug-in criticism and misinformation -- and finally, a response mechanism -- and lots of other resources for CalCars-News readers who haven't had a chance to keep up with the latest developments.

(Shortly after it goes out on email, this posting will also be viewable at http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html -- there you can add CalCars-News to your RSS feed.)

* NEW PLUG-IN HYBRIDS COMING INTO VIEW: the wave of announcements
continues, with production PHEVs now expected including the Opel Ampera, Ford Fusion Energi, Honda Accord, Mercedes B-Class E-Cell, Volvo XC60, Audi A1 e-tron, Mitsubishi PX-iMIEV, possibly a Lincoln version of the Fusion and a Cadillac version of the Volt, and others at the concept stage, plus, of course, many pure EVs.

* NHTSA CLOSES BOOKS ON VOLT FIRES: The National Highway Transportation Administration's review of fire-related issues on the Chevy Volt has been closed. The NHTSA's official statement:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2012/NHTSA+Statement+on+Conclusion+of+Chevy+Volt+Investigation
. GM's precautionary measures announced Jan 5 for same-day February installations, have been approved. GM's statement welcoming the end of the investigation at:
http://www.chevroletvoltage.com/index.php/volt-blog/18-volt/2583-nhtsa-closure-of-volt-investigation-.html
.
ONCE MORE ABOUT FIRES: We're glad to see more and more people compare the significance of a handful of fires weeks after crash tests with hundreds of thousands of conventional vehicle fires a year:
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/08/398210/iran-electric-cars-and-our-stuck-narrative-gas-powered-vehicles-catch-fire-180000-times-a-year/
. Oh, and did you or anyone notice when Ford just recalled 286,000
SUVs over a potential fire hazard?
http://news.yahoo.com/ford-recalls-450-000-minivans-suvs-defects-183215451.html

NEXT: CONGRESSIONAL QUIZ: Meanwhile, the head of NHTSA and GM's CEO
Dan Akerson will testify Wednesday at a Congressional subcommittee hearing that Volt critics hope could extend their "fear, doubt and uncertainty" strategy. (On a parallel track to another House hearing Wednesday for cleantech critics reviewing the State Department's decision on Keystone.)

* OTHER MOSTLY GOOD NEWS FROM GM: Volts produced for sale in California after Feb 6 will have Low Emissions Packages making them eligible for the 40,000 stickers allowing HOV (car-pool) lane access, and for a $1,500 state tax credit on top of the federal credit. We
continue to hear that every car produced sells quickly. But GM has said it might scale down production plans from its goal of 45,000 US and 15,000 international Volt sales in 2012:
http://gm-volt.com/2012/01/10/gm-says-it-if-necessary-it-will-cut-volt-production/
and http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120112/OEM05/120119914

ROUGH TIMES AHEAD FOR PLUG-INS? The path forward may not be smooth.
By 2006 we had a broad and popular non-partisan coalition, endorsed by the Bush Administration to incentivize US production of cars and batteries, and provide credits to hundreds of thousands of early buyers. By 2011, when the cars arrived, we found EVs condemned by many as " Obama's pet project," earmarked for failure as part of political campaigns. Add to that a media onslaught that promotes the idea that cars arriving in the market at a rate twice that of hybrids a decade ago are in fact failing. Taken together, plug-ins now have an uncertain position. Advocate Chelsea Sexton in Jim Motavalli's book, High lVoltage: The Fast Track to Plug In the Auto Industry," in February 2011 predicted "a couple of rough years" with "deployment
missteps, changes in policy and negative media stories, whether earned or not." She suggested we scale back our expectations -- and avoid complacency.

* END OF THREE EV CREDITS: At the end of 2011, along with corn
ethanol credits and a cleantech loan program, credits for two- and
three-wheeled vehicles, charging systems, and EV conversions were not
extended. They lapsed because companies building businesses in this
area didn't give it their attention -- or didn't have the resources
to devote to the issue. We mourn especially the last one, a
placeholder for a much larger credit we'd like to see for converting
gas-guzzlers to plug in. At a time when there was significant
interest in converting Prius hybrids to plug in, A123 Systems and its
affiliate Hymotion, worked to build support for the credit. We hope
that as gas-guzzler conversion companies emerge, they will be able to
make the case for reinstating at higher levels.

IMPLICATIONS FOR FEDERAL $7,500 CREDIT. This current all-important
program is the subject of increasing attacks. Uninformed criticisms
have come after the introduction of a House bill to repeal the
credits -- including ones from the Washington Post. See rebuttals and
links to the editorial at PIC and Climate Progress.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/are-electric-cars-really-a-disappointment/2012/01/09/gIQArQVWlP_blog.html
. The greatest threat may come not from a direct attack but from an
attempt to end the credit as part of a larger package of fiscal changes.

* WE NEED MORE EFFORTS TO COUNTER MISINFORMATION. Great resources are
out there. Pass the word about the Department of Energy three-minute
video, Electric Vehicles 101, introducing and explaining EVs and
PHEVs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M69GBL0IDzI . Don't miss a
posting by Rocky Mountain Institute/Project Get Ready's Ben Holland
and Randy Essex, countering the idea that 2010 sales were a
disappointment.
http://blog.rmi.org/why_so_many_critics_after_17000_ev_sales_in_first_yearn
. Still, we need something more -- mechanisms equivalent to those
that climate change deniers and others have perfected to jump on news
stories as they appear.

* SIERRA CLUB STEPS UP WITH EV MEDIA RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK: The
Network aims to notify advocates of breaking stories and equip them
with arguments for letters to the editor, online postings, articles,
etc. It will focus on policies, including the new fuel efficiency
standards, and on issues directly involving plug-in cars. To join and
get more info, contact Sierra's Senior Campaign Representative for
EVs, Gina Copland gina.coplon-newfield@sierraclub.org

* FISKER SHIPS, WINS AWARDS: The Karma, which recently began shipping
and had its own two episodes of precautionary modifications for a
small number of cars delivered to customers, has won the Top Gear
Luxury Car of the Year and Overall Car of the Year awards in addition
to its previous Design of the Year award from Automobile Magazine.
http://www.plugincars.com/top-gear-crowns-2012-fisker-karma-luxury-car-year-110655.html
A test drive report by John Voelcker:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1071965_2012-fisker-karma-brief-drive-report

* VIA PROGRESSES WITH LARGE VEHICLE PHEVS: Via Motors has gained
credibility by enlisting GM veterans including Bob Lutz
http://www.plugincars.com/motors-bob-lutz%E2%80%99s-help-aims-sell-2000-electric-trucks-year-111497.html
. Via announced plans to sell several thousand "VTrux" -- extended
range pickups, cargo vans and SUVs based on conversions of GM
Silverado, Tahoe and Express vehicles.
http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/13/via-motors-introduces-plug-in-work-vehicles/
It's significant that GM will provide "gliders" (vehicles without
drivetrains), which can reduce the final cost. Roush Engineering is a
partner
http://gigaom.com/cleantech/via-motors-rolls-out-converted-hybrid-electric-trucks/
and PG&E is a first customer
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/10/BUTI1MNFD7.DTL
and
http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/13/via-motors-introduces-plug-in-work-vehicles/
An evaluation of its potential:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1071881_what-would-you-pay-for-a-100-mpg-via-full-size-pickup-truck

* VOLT TEAR-DOWN CalCars has been hoping someone would "open up" the
Volt, as engineers did years ago with the Prius,and as the people at
http://www.ifixit.com and http://www.ifixit.org do with appliances
and high-tech gear. Finally one is in view. See 10 short videos at
http://www.youtube.com/driveforinnovation. Corporate sponsors Munro &
Associates and TechInsights appear to be saving their findings for a
conference in March in San Jose http://www.ubmdesign.com/ , but some
of the videos (including one called "Under the Hood" show the careful
redundant safety engineering features in the car.

* RECENT SIGHTINGS OF RON GREMBAN AND FELIX KRAMER: See Ron on
battery cooling issues at
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/gm-volt-battery-fix-part-of-an-industry-evolution/
and Felix critiquing a popular new book on global violence for
overlooking climate change
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/14/401194/ny-times-dialogue-on-human-violence-omits-climate-change/

* REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR OUT ON DVID: Startng this week, you can
buy the movie; this will be followed by availability at Netflix and Hulu.

A FEW ARTICLES WE LIKED:
* Factions Square Off in Battle for Electric Car Future: Brad Berman
analyzes the four major contenders: Anti-EV Republicans and Media,
Obama Administration, Auto Industry, and EV Drivers and Advocates:
http://www.plugincars.com/factions-square-battle-electric-car-future-111588.html

* Wards: Volt is a symbol of headwinds against U.S. innovation:
http://www.green.autoblog.com/2012/01/09/wards-volt-is-a-symbol-of-headwinds-against-us-innovation/
summarizes the more fully developed arguments at
http://wardsauto.com/commentary/why-innovation-dying-america
* Consumer Reports: 2012 Detroit auto show: The rise of the
mainstream plug-in hybrid: A "look how far we've come" and "no other
technology can have the same impact" thought-piece on PHEVs, which
credits Andy Frank for his early work.
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/01/2012-detroit-auto-show-the-rise-of-the-mainstream-plug-in-hybrid.html
* Wired Pulls a Charlie Sheen on Clean Energy: Experts Easily Debunk
Absurd Hit-Job on Solar and Wind Power: rebuts the idea that Solyndra
means Cleantech has failed at
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/22/408784/wired-clean-energy-experts-debunk-solar-wind/
. The referenced article is at
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/01/ff_solyndra/all/1)

SUPPORT CALCARS: If you intended to donate at the end of 2011 but
didn't , we have switched our 501(c)3 sponsorship to the Electric
Auto Association, of which we are a chapter. Go to
http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html for tax-deductible contributions
online by credit card or by mailing a check. Thanks as always for
your help in keeping CalCars and our website running!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix Kramer fkramer@calcars.org
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.calcars.org/news-archive.html
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

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