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3-Euro-cent-per-km mileage tax might become law in the Netherlands

A mileage tax has been in discussion here in the U.S., but doesn't look likley to become law. The situation is very different in the Netherlands, where the Dutch cabinet approved legislation that would replace ownership and sales taxes on automobiles with a 3 Euro cent (about 4.5 U.S. cents) fee per kilometer starting in 2012. The next step is for Parliament to pass the law, something that is very likely. If approved, the fee would climb to 6.7 Euro cents (10 U.S. cents) in 2018. What's the point of doing this? The Dutch Transport Ministry ... Read more →

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Ford launches eco-driving campaign in Portugal Xavier Navarro

Ford Lusitánia, the Portuguese importer of The Blue Oval's vehicles, is currently promoting the Projecto Eco-Condução Portugal. The project includes a contest and a campaign to ...

Reva partners with Northern Lights Energy to bring NXR electric car to Iceland Sebastian Blanco

Reva Electric Car Company and Northern Lights Energy signed a deal today to bring electric vehicles to Iceland. Reva, as regular readers will know, is the Indian EV company that was once best ...

Citroën C-Zero ready to be tested [w/VIDEO] Xavier Navarro

British and French motorists will be able to try the Citroën C-Zero before it goes on sale. Citroën has launched a website for interested drivers to ask for a test drive of the ...

Project Sartre uses road trains to save fuel on the highway Xavier Navarro

Do you get bored when driving along the interstate? Ever wish you could just pull out your laptop and check Facebook on a long straightaway? If a EU-funded project called Sartre ever becomes a ...

Italy extends its cash for clunkers program for 100,000 more vehicles 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

The Italian cash for clunkers program was supposed to last until the end of 2009. However, there were voices that called for the extension of the program. Once such voice was Sergio Marchione, the CEO of Fiat, who said that there could be "severe social consequences" if the program was suddendly ...

Austrian hyper-miler beats his own record when driving a Seat Ibiza Ecomotive to 100 mpg 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

Last May, Austrian Gerhard Plattner took a Seat Ibiza Ecomotive and drove it from the factory where it was built, in Martorell (near Barcelona), Spain, and drove it a distance of 970.6 miles using just 2.9 liters of fuel per 100 km. This comes to 81.1 mpg (U.S.), an impressive figure. But, since ...

New train-sponsored carpool system comes to Paris 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

SNCF, the public company that manages the French railway system, has launched a new carpool service. Aimed at people who live in the large Paris metropolitan area and use the commuter train system, Transilien, to go to work, the idea is to get more people to use fewer cars because most stations have ...

Pininfarina Bluecar confirmed for sale next year 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

2008 Pininfarina B0 concept, the basis for the Bluecar - Click above for high-res image gallery Bolloré has reportedly decided to hurry up and get the Bluecar ready for 2010, which is when France plans to start subventing the purchase of electric vehicles. Speaking at a press conference ...

BYD signs agreement to import EVs to Spain 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

BYD's Wang Chuan-Fu has signed an agreement with Spanish distributor Grupo Bergé to import BYD electric cars to Spain. As a consequence, two BYD models are already included in the list of eligible models for the Movele plan, Spain's subventions for the purchase of EVs. Grupo ...

Audi attacks the low-CO2 European market with two new models 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

VW has announced that all brands in the VW Group are getting the all-new common-rail 1.6-liter diesels across the range. This new engine, when installed into the Audi A3, manages to reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. While the 1.9-liter TDIe managed to burn 4.1 l/100 km, the new ...

REPORT: Citroën preparing low-cost brand 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

Citroën C-Cactus prototype - Click above for high-res image gallery Citroën is apparently going in both directions with its new range of upscale models, the DS series, and a new rumored line called "essentiele" (essential). The essential line could take the concepts in the C-Cactus ...

Volvo announces bio-dimethyl ether partnership 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Dimethyl ether (DME) is one of those fuels that is not well known to the general public but is should be, if for no other reason than it promises up to 95 percent carbon neutrality. According to Wikipedia and my Chemistry 101 book, it's a clean-burning gas that can be sourced from renewable ...

Spanish "green insurance" company offers all kinds of incentives, including a free bike 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Spanish insurer MMT is currently offering a "green insurance policy" called ecopóliza that uses all kind of green incentives to attract customers. Purchasers of this package can not only get their legally-required insurance coverage, but they also get a tree planted in their name to offset ...

Ener1 invades Europe; totally cool, though 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The fact that many of the emerging electric vehicles are from European companies, as demonstrated at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, has not been lost on the company behind Enerdel's lithium batteries. And how could it be? Ener1 already has existing arrangements with Th!nk, Fisker and Volvo and ...

Fiat now the lowest CO2 emitter in Europe 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

While the Frankfurt Motor Show tries to present us with the future of motoring, the European Federation for Transport and Environment has taken stock of where automakers are today. Fiat and PSA Peugeot-Citroen came out with the lowest average CO2 emissions (138 and 139 grams/kilometer, ...

Euro Nissan Qashqai crossover may get through-the-road hybrid in 2010 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Nissan Qashqai compact crossover is set for an update in 2010 and it may get a new through-the-road hybrid system. The Qashqa, built at Nissan's UK plant and sold in European markets, currently uses a conventional all wheel drive system driven by a take-off from the front transaxle. The new ...

Telephone booths in Spain could get a green makeover as EV charging stations 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Now that cell phones are so ubiquitous all around the developed world, there seems to be little need for all those public telephone booths dotting the landscape. This being the case, there are plans in place in Spain that could see a large number of these unused telephone booths converted into ...

Newest Tesla Motors store opens in Münich today 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Tesla store in LA pictures - Click for complete gallery Tesla Motors continues its exploration of the Old Continent with a new shop open in Münich, Germany, today (Thursday, Sept. 10th), right before the introduction of the Tesla Roadster Sport model. The shop opens its doors after the ...

Frankfurt preview: SEAT extends Ecomotive line, León CO2 emissions drop to 99 g/km 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Along with the arrival of the next-generation TDI engines to the Spanish automaker SEAT's lineup, the company's Ecomotive high-milers get updated with an all-new 1.6-liter common-rail diesel to go with the 1.4-liter 3-cylinder for the Ibiza. The León, Altea and Altea XL all get the new ...

Smart ED on view in Paris soon, but driving one will have to wait 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

2009 Smart ED - Click above for high-res image gallery Parisians will be able to meet the smart ED in person from September 11-16 at the city Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Despite persistent rumors of the car becoming part of a public car sharing service in Paris (a project that seems to ...

REPORT: Opel Ampera pricing hint suggests Chevy Volt might cost $35,000 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

As we mentioned the other day, Opel is testing Ampera ER-EV mules in Germany on the way to the plug-in car's 2011 debut. Swiss news outlet the Tages-Anzeiger caught up with Open engineer Gherardo Corsini and learned a few new details about the European Chevy Volt that may help us learn more ...

Citroën gets Mitsubishi i MiEV variant, Euro sales begin 2010 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Peugeot lion won't be the only badge burnishing the snouts of re-branded Mitsubishi i MiEVs buzzing around the streets of European cities a little more than a year from now. It's been decided that the twin chrome chevrons of Citroën are as worthy as its sister emblem to adorn a Francified ...

Yike Bike: electric folding penny-farthing blends 19th century tech with 21st 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

If you don't mind your handlebars being located beside your butt and endless giggles and smirks as you roll by then perhaps the YikeBike is the fancy bit of urban mobility kit you've been yearning. Looking something like a space-age version of that charming British improvement on the French ...

Renault introduces Fluence sedan with new double-clutch transmission 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

2010 Renault Fluence - Click above for high-res image gallery Renault has finally introduced the Fluence, the four-door model that will replace the Mégane Sedan. If this model looks a bit familiar, that because it's the vehicle that Renault will use in all of the EV projects that it is ...

France extends "cash for clunkers" scheme for two additional years 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The French minister of Economic Affairs, Christine Lagarde, has announced that the country's current cash-for-clunkers scheme, called prime à la casse, will be extended for two additional years. The initial plan was to end the program by the end of this year, but the government believes ...

Think exits bankruptcy, gets $47m for production move to Finland 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Recent reports that Think would move the manufacturing location of its City electric cars from Norway to Finland were true. The Norwegian EV company has some even better news, though: it has received approval for its debt settlement plan and will now be able to exit court protection. Think CEO ...

REPORT: Think electric cars to be made in Finland alongside Fisker Karma 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Our friends over at Electric A!D recently took a baby blue Think City EV from its home in Norway to show it off in Denmark (recharging it onboard the ferry). Turns out another Nordic nation might hold the future for the small all-electric car. A report in VG Nett says that, in the future, Think ...

Vauxhall releases new Insignia ecoFLEX Sports Tourer with under 140 g/km CO2 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Vauxhall, GM's UK-based division, has just announced that the latest addition to its fuel-saving and emissions reducing ecoFLEX line will take the form of the Insignia Sports Tourer. Included in the car's transformation are a raft of aerodynamic tweaks that include modified front air inlets and ...

New places to "refuel" your car: onboard a ferry 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Electric A!D, the northern European electric car advocates, have taken a baby blue Think City EV from Norway to Denmark "without any more hassle than if you where to travel with an ICE car." One of the reasons things went smoothly is that the Stena Line ferry service from Oslo, Norway to ...

TTXGP developments coming fast and furious; plenty more electric motorcycle racing on the horizon 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

If the inaugural TTXGP on the Isle of Man whetted your appetite for more electric motorcycle racing, you can look forward to lots of feasting in 2010. In addition to another stand-alone island race (this time with a 2 lap class replacing the open class) plans are afoot for a 3-continent, ...

Audi tries again to convert Chinese to diesels with new A6L TDI 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

One of the star vehicles sold by the VW group in China is the Audi A6L, a longer wheelbase version of the popular A6 sedan. The hot seller moved 8,440 units last July. Now, the German company has decided to offer the A6L with one of the company's famous TDI diesel engines: the 2.7-liter TDI that ...

France's carbon tax proposal means gas, diesel prices expected to jump 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard has introduced his final proposal for a carbon tax, which was one of the star measures announced as "Grenelle de l'environnement." Called "Contribution climat-énergie," the proposal will charge CO2 emitters €32 per metric ton in 2010. This ...

Electric Trabant revival slated to debut at Frankfurt 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Anyone who spent any time in East Germany will be very familiar with the original Trabant, a diminutive automobile that was built and sold in the communist bloc. While the Trabant wasn't a particularly good car, it enjoys something of a cult following and is apparently ripe for a remake. ...

Angry SAM electric locusts set to swarm out of factory 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

If you would like your electric car to have a look reminiscent of a large angry locust, live in Europe and don't have a need to exceed 90 Km/h (55 mph), you're in luck! Though a year later than had been originally projected, copies of the re-engineered SAM should begin rolling out of a Polish ...

REPORT: Not all clunkers in Germany being junked; some are "stolen" from the junkyard 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

There's no arguing that the various Cash for Clunkers-style programs all around the world are intended first and foremost to spur lagging automobile sales. Environmental concerns have taken a back seat to helping automakers and dealerships move some more metal. Still, at least we know that the ...

VIDEO: Lazareth creates an E85-powered, 500-horsepower quad 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

French automobile and motorcycle builder Lazareth has managed to shoehorn an entire BMW V12 engine into one of his crazy Wazuma quad-like machines. Admittedly, there isn't much that's environmentally friendly about a 500-horsepower supercharged V12 engine from BMW that's powering a rather large ...

Rumormill: From fortwo to forfour; now a smart forthree roadster? 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

smart used to have a model called the Roadster (and the Roadster coupé), which wasn't too much of a commercial success. The model wasn't ugly and had decent enough performance with its small 3-cyl engine thanks to its low weight. Still, smart only sold a little more than 43,000 units in the ...

REPORT: Toyota to build Yaris-based hybrid in France, go on sale in Japan in 2011 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Toyota's got hybrids on the brain. Asahi (via Reuters) is reporting that the Japanese automaker, already the undisputed market leader in the fuel-saving hybrid vehicle market, is planning to launch a new compact hybrid to be based on the next-gen Yaris platform and to be put on sale in Japan ...

Shock the Monkey: Piaggio reportedly launching lithium-powered electric Ape Calessino 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

According to reports coming out of Europe, Italian scooter maker Piaggio has just unveiled a new fully electric version of its iconic Ape Calessino three-wheeler, a beast of burden normally powered by a 422cc diesel engine. Separating the new EV from its fossil-fueled variants is a new white ...

Smart Tipping: Amsterdam villains reportedly pushing fortwos into canals for fun 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Note to Smart Fortwo owners: Don't park your itty-bitty city cars near easily-accessible bodies of water. If you thought the car's errant transmission and its rough-and-tumble shifts were your biggest concern, you've likely never heard of the latest craze sweeping Amsterdam: "Smart Smijten." That's ...

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