My wife has a full time job. Apparently, we have a son. This sometimes has consequences for my routine.

Last year, I was invited to speak to a crowd of roughly 250 people at the UCLA Opportunity Green Conference. Grist’s Russ Walker was kind enough to share the stage with my son and I. My son looks a little stiff here but he has strong views on the environment and wants you to recycle more.
I have not been invited back to this year’s Opportunity Green 2009 Conference . So,Source: Environmental and Urban Economics RSS Feed

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Lincoln

Renault Zoe Z.E. concept – click above for high-res image gallery
At the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September, one of the four electric vehicle concepts shown by Renault was this Zoe which the company now tells us was developed in collaboration with L’Oréal. We just received a bunch of new images of the Zoe and the new release refers to it as an electric “spa” concept.
Anyone that has seen ads for skin car products on TV or in printSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

Image of E. coli bacterium found here.

Asheville, NY-based Fairbank Farms is recalling nearly 546,000 pounds of ground beef because of a suspected E. coli contamination. The recall affects Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The following supermarkets sold the beef, which may have had sell-by dates between September 19-28, according to the Associated Press:

-Trader Joe’s
-Shaw’s
-GiantSource: Business Pundit RSS Feed

Filed under: Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Toyota, USA

Stick with what you know. That seems to be Toyota’s new mantra going forward, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly diverted its attention away from large trucks like the largely unsuccessful and slow-selling Tundra pickup and back to hybrid vehicles – possibly all wearing the Prius badge, including a minivan and something smaller than the current Prius – and returning to its previous levels of unquestionable quality.<brSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Cadillac

If you’re looking for live updates from the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge, a variety of spectators are tweeting from the Monticello Motor Club. Get the lap times and more information by clicking here to follow along on Twitter.
UPDATE: Top lap times after the jump. We’ll continue to update with the best times if you’re Twitter-averse
UPDATE 2: Lutz pulls off a 2:58:072 lap on his first run
UPDATE 3: Lutz’ best time is 2:56:321.Source: Autoblog RSS Feed

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Green Daily, USA

Reports that hybrid vehicles would continue to be popular are nothing new and seem to be coming true. But a new study by NextGen Research paints a picture that might be a bit too rosy. Maybe.
Components used in electric and hybrid vehicles will see a huge growth spurt in the coming years, NextGen found. Vehicle battery modules, for example, are expected to go from about $1.3 billion last year to $3.7 billion by 2014. For Source: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

By Andrew Liszewski

Whether you can’t afford an iPhone (what are they? like $7 now with a 10-year contract?) and want to look like you can, or you need a prop for a photoshoot or something, iPhoneDummy.net will sell you a non-working iPhone 3G display model for just $19.95 with free worldwide shipping. The iPhone ‘dummies’ as they’re called feel and weigh exactly like the real thing, but don’t contain all the electronicy bits inside that are necessary for them to turnSource: OhGizmo! RSS Feed

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, BMW

The 2011 BMW 5-Series is slowly undressing as far as camouflage goes, and its looks are going the “more substantial” route to match its more substantial, modified 7 Series chassis along with a dose of 5 Series Gran Turismo in back. The front end gets a less sculpted treatment while, if the swirls don’t deceive us, the rear glasshouse slopes more steeply into the trunk lid. The lower rear fascia gets the same severe angle as that on the 5SeriesSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, Jeep

Remember California’s “Cool Cars” regulation? Coming into force in 2012, the rule requires manufacturers to install windows that prevent 45% of the sun’s energy from entering a vehicle by 2014, and 60% by 2016. It’s the law that no one thinks is cool at all. In a minor victory against The Golden State’s increasingly severe environmental regulations (and we live there and love it, but still…), the soft-top Jeep Wrangler hasSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Filed under: Biodiesel, Etc., EV/Plug-in

This is a particularly busy time for studies trying to understand the impact of green vehicles. Here’s a quick round-up:
Paul Scott writes that, for anyone to fairly compare driving plug-in vehicles and gasoline-powered ones, we need a better understanding of the “exernalities” of fossil fuels. That is, what effect do these energy sources have that are not reflected in the price of gas at the pump. One example from a recentSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed