It's a Fiesta & you're not invited!

biodieselman · Sep 18, 2008

Americans are clamoring for American made fuel-efficient cars that can burn domestically produced alternative fuels. But instead of producing such cars for the American consumer, the Big Three have their hand out for your tax dollars, telling congress they need tax breaks to develop fuel efficient cars.

Meanwhile...

Ford is rolling out a 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic that gets 63.6 mpg city & 73.5 mpg highway.

DETROIT -- Tuesday's unveiling of the Chevrolet Volt electric hybrid car was supposed to be a celebration of new technology... Instead, the crowd ... was buzzing over who was going to pay for it: GM or American taxpayers?

... Immediately afterward, company executives faced a barrage of questions about whether some of the $25 billion in low-interest loans the industry is urging Congress to fund would be used to subsidize the Volt's development and production.

At the same time, GM executives called for federal and local incentives to boost the Volt program....

Critics of the loans have dubbed them a bailout that favors domestic automakers over foreign ones and that puts regulatory burdens faced by private industry on the shoulders of the American public.

"When the government gets in the business of backing industry, I think you have problems,"...

In the wake of the taxpayer-funded takeovers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and a lifeline for insurance giant American International Group Inc., the auto industry's request comes at a time when public patience for such support is being considerably stretched.

A report from the Congressional Budget Office on Monday indicated that guaranteeing the loans would cost as much as $7.5 billion, double the original estimate.

... just two weeks ago, company executives said they were hoping for $50 billion in loans. "I think that $25 billion is a fair amount," ...

...Besides loans, GM is planning to ask Congress, state and local governments for a "whole list of vehicle incentives and infrastructure incentives" to help cut the Volt's cost...

Chief on the wish list would be a federal tax rebate for Volt purchasers, she said, pointing out that buyers of the Toyota Prius hybrid were eligible for a $3,150 rebate for a period. GM may also ask local governments for sales tax breaks and help installing public recharging stations.

GM executives have said the Volt could cost close to $40,000, although no official price has been set.

"Fifteen thousand dollars would go a long way, but I think it's a little optimistic," Gross said. "We think $7,500 per car is a great start."

Honda Motor Co... said that batteries had not advanced enough to make rechargeable cars a good replacement for gasoline models and that it wasn't following rivals that plan to sell plug-ins.

"For battery-powered vehicles to become more widespread, more popular in the market, we feel battery technology needs to advance further,"....

Honda is bucking an industry move toward lithium-ion batteries as high fuel prices push carmakers to develop alternatives to gasoline power.

Honda believes battery technology is at their limits & is betting on clean diesel technology instead.

* When: 2009
* Models: Acura TSX sedan, other models could follow
Honda Accord Clean Diesel
* Engine: 2.2-liter i-DTEC
* Est. Mileage: 34/53 MPG
* Est. Base Price: ?

I’ve often thought that algae could be one of the keys to our energy future, and now I’m more convinced than ever.... his company is capable of producing millions of gallons of biodiesel derived from algae within 3 years.

Solazyme is the first company to produce algae diesel that meets US standards, but until today their production timeline was unknown.

“The technology is moving a lot quicker than some people would expect,” Wolfson said.

Most companies working with algal fuel grow algae in open ponds, harvest the plant, and squeeze the oil out, but Solazyme takes a different approach. The company grows algae in the dark in large tanks by feeding it with biomass. The algae then eat the biomass and turn it into natural oils.

... the logic behind this approach is that it works with the existing biofuel infrastructure. “We produce oils on the fuel side that can go straight into the refining structure,” he said....

What do you mean American auto companies can't produce fuel-efficient cars?

Does any Democrat or Republican congressman know anything about planning for the future of alternative energy transportation fuels?

Taxpayers give billions to Big Oil. Taxpayers are on the hook to give billions to bail out Big Banking. Now American automakers have their hand out to taxpayers?:doh: