The Environmental Protection Agency is creating rules to try to make car mileage on stickers more accurate.

The Chicago Tribune Reports:

Though the new procedures are expected to reduce the estimates from 5 percent to 25 percent, the agency’s boilerplate warning will still apply: Your mileage will vary.

“We are very confident these new values will be more reflective of the real world, but how you drive is still the more important factor,” said Margo Oge, director of the EPA’s transportation and air quality division. “They should always be viewed as estimates. We don’t want consumers to view them as absolute values.”

Read the full story on more accurate mileage.

The 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid isn’t your typical hybrid, in that it is the first to feature a V6 engine.  So can you have power and efficiency?  Here’s what reviewers had to say:

Aaron Gold at About.com has reviewed the 2007 Honda Accord and has this to say:

The idea behind IMA is that it takes lots of power to get a car moving, but not much to keep it moving. With a battery-powered electric motor to help out during acceleration, a small fuel-efficient gas engine is all that’s needed — an idea that worked well in the first-generation Insight and Civic hybrids.

Problem is that the Accord’s V6 doesn’t need any help. It can handle passing and merging on its own. Unless you’re drag-racing, the electric motor never really adds any useful assistance. Since the Accord Hybrid can’t run on pure battery power like the Toyota hybrids can, the hybrid system is, for all practical purposes, just along for the ride. In town my mileage never got above the low 20s — no better than a conventional V6-powered Accord.

Read the full 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid Review at About.

However, AllAutoReviews has a different viewpoint of the new V6 hybrid, saying “Unlike most Hybrid models, the Honda Accord Hybrid sedan focuses on both performance as well as fuel efficiency. Whether you are looking for a sedan that comes with power, performance, comfort, luxury and fuel efficiency, the 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid sedan can be a nice choice to go for. ”

This hybrid gets an EPA mileage of 28 city and 35 highway and has an MSRP price of $31090-$33090

CentreDaily out of central Pennsylvania reports the following plans for a new biodiesel plant:

Willie Nelson is doing it. President George Bush and Gov. Ed Rendell are talking about it.

Turning soybeans into fuel is getting attention in Centre County too. The company that wants to build a municipal-waste landfill and industrial park in Rush Township has been floating the idea of eventually making a biodiesel plant part of the project.

The idea seems to be getting a warm welcome from township supervisors, but opponents to the proposed landfill say it doesn’t make the project any more appealing.

“I think all they want to do is build a landfill and bring in as much garbage as they can,” said JoAnn Gillette, a Clarence resident and member of the anti-landfill group People Protecting Communities.

Lancaster County-based Resource Recovery submitted its application to build a 274-acre landfill to the state Department of Environmental Protection in May.

Those who enjoy driving SUV’s but want to be more fuel-efficient may want to consider getting this gas-electric powered SUV. 

Automotive.com says about it: “The first thing you should know about the Escape Hybrid is that, for the most part, it drives just like a regular Escape. It demands little, if any, additional effort or knowledge from the driver. That’s impressive, considering its complexity. In short, the Ford Escape Hybrid is a superb vehicle, smooth, responsive, comfortable and convenient.”

The MSRP price is $26,900 – $28,525 and the MPG is 33 in the city and 29 on the highway.

When General Motors showed off its hydrogen-powered vehicle to Chinese officials, it announced plans to build hybrid vehicles in China by 2008.

GM head Rick Wagoner said “We believe fuel cell vehicles offer the best long-term solution for meeting the world’s growing demand for automobiles in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner… From a China and Asia Pacific perspective, development of world-class fuel cells and the associated infrastructure are key initiatives that need the support of industry, government and the academic community.”

Read more at Yahoo! News

Toyota has always been the most aggressive company in promoting gasoline-electric cars and now they’re considering releasing a hybrid Prius – which could help tremendously in increasing hybrid car use.

STL Today reports “Toyota plans to sell worldwide each year by early next decade, said Jim Lentz, executive vice president of the company’s U.S. sales unit. Prius-based models might include a wagon and a smaller car, he said.”

Read the full story.

You may not be able to get your hands on one of the 75 limited edition 2007 Lexus hybrids, but the 2006 RX400h is a great choice according to car reviewers.

Automotive.com reviewed it and said “The RX 400h boasts all the advantages of a hybrid gas-electric vehicle: Emissions are extremely low, reducing your impact on the environment to something in the neighborhood of nil. And it burns about as much gas as a compact car, reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil…. But it’s also fast and powerful.”

CNET points out the positives and negatives, the good being that it has “fast acceleration; unencumbered LCD and separate audio display; versatile rear-seat entertainment system” and the bad being that it bears “grainy LCD map display; no factory option for surround sound or satellite radio; notched feeling in electric power steering.”

The MSRP price range is from $44,660.00 – $48,410.00.

Today, three executives from major car companies – Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Tom LaSorda of Chrysler – are appealing to President Bush for a number of things to help them compete with Asian carmakers, including widening the distribution of ethanol.

According to MSNBC, “The three Detroit carmakers have already sold more than a million vehicles that can run on E85, a fuel comprising 85 per cent ethanol. They have pledged to double the number by 2010.  However, their efforts to promote E85 are hampered by the fact that it is available at fewer than 1,000 of the US’s 165,000 filling stations.  The vehicle manufacturers have launched vigorous campaigns to increase public awareness of ethanol.”

Read more on appealing to Bush for wider distribution of Ethanol.

Here are some of the newest hybrids that are now available:

Lexus GS 450h
This compact car has an MSRP price of $55,595, or, if you can afford it, you can opt for the limited edition (pictured above) which was featured in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book.  The Lexus GS 450h has EPA mileage figures of 25 city/28 highway.

Toyota Camry Hybrid 4dr Sedan
Like previous versions, the new Toyota Camry comes with either a four-cylinder engine or a V6. But it also has an all-new hybrid drivetrain that makes 192 horsepower (as much as the current 3.0-liter V6 model) while earning EPA mileage figures of 40-43 city and 37-38 highway.  MSRP price is $25,900.

Saturn Vue Hybrid – This SUV is equipped with a 4-cylinder engine and a Hydra-matic 4-speed automatic transmission.  This has EPA mileage figures of 27 city/32 highway and has an MSRP price of $22,995. 

While these aren’t available yet, you can also expect the following for 2007:

Saturn Aura Hybrid – Midsize car with a 4-cylinder engine and an 4-speed automatic transmission.

Nissan Altima Hybrid – Midsize car.

 

People and Planet reports that the future looks bright in terms of fuel efficiency and the reduction of dependence on oil:  ”Biofuels can significantly reduce global dependence on oil, according to a new Worldwatch Institute report. This says that athough oil still accounts for more than 96 per cent of transport fuel use, biofuel production has doubled since 2001 and is poised for even stronger growth as the industry responds to higher fuel prices and supportive government policies.”

While the research is very promising, Biofuels for Transportation cautions that ecological and agricultural risks are possible.

Read full story.