Jim Motavalli Blog

Air pollution now a top 10 disease health risk
New Delhi adds 1,400 poorly regulated new cars to its roads every day, so it's no wonder that the city is choking on auto exhaust. Asian air pollution kills 2 million people every year. Tough emissions laws in the U.S. explain why we're breathing better, despite adding cars, population and miles traveled.
Avis and Zipcar get hitched as car sharing expands
With this $500 million deal, all the major rental companies will host big-league car sharing operations. It makes sense, because sharing is growing rapidly. But hold the altruism — customers want convenience and customer service, not green points.
Six auto-centric predictions for 2013
The crystal ball isn't as clear as it could be for the green year ahead, but I'm going to stick my neck out anyway.
2012 was a whizz-bang year for car trends
Although EV quotas were blown, 2012 will go down as the green car year, but that was only one important trend that emerged. Self-driving cars? Check. Jetpacks? Check? Crowdsourcing cars? Check.
A sailing race around the world...on eco power
Javier Sanso is the only competitor in the grueling round-the-world solo yacht race known as the Vendee Globe to use 100 percent renewable energy. If it were a movie, he'd win. But right now he's in eighth place.
Cruising in my propane truck
Yes, it's the same stuff that goes in your gas grill. People are stopping me on the street. 'A propane truck?' Sure nuff. This is a $2-a-gallon liquid fuel. What's not to like?
Crowdsourcing your car
Jay Rogers thinks cars can be built by online communities. And why not use open-source architecture that allows constant and regular improvements from an energized group of computer-aided designers?
Coda's layoffs spell trouble ahead
Take a cheap Chinese car, shoehorn in an electric drivetrain, freshen it up as best you can. Then pray. The strategy doesn't seem to be working for this California-based electric automaker.
Should A123's battery technology be sold to China?
Sure, a lot of the noise about the sale of a federally subsidized American company to a Chinese high bidder is political, but there are legitimate concerns, too.
Bill McKibben goes after Big Oil
On our current trajectory, we stand to overshoot every global warming ceiling. 350.org's current 'Fossil Free' campaign targets campus investment in oil stocks, underlining the urgency to get something done about climate in a brief window.

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