Boston Globe
Here come the hybrids, subcompacts

Hybrid technology was developed in the 1990s in Asia, where gasoline sells for about $4 per gallon. And more than half the cars sold in Europe, where gasoline tops $5 per gallon, are diesels. So when prices in the United States started to skyrocket last fall, foreign automakers were well-positioned to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles, just as they did during the oil crisis of the 1970s. And domestic companies, once again, are playing catch-up.

‘’It’s serendipity, like in the ’70s,” Toyota spokesman Wade Hoyt said of the recent launch of Toyota’s new subcompact, the Yaris. ‘’Nobody knew when it was being developed it would hit the market just as gasoline hit $3 per gallon.”

Across the United States, registrations for new hybrid vehicles rose 139 percent, from 83,204 in 2004 to 199,148 last year, according to R. L. Polk & Co., the automotive analysis and marketing firm. Another Polk study indicated that from 2000 to 2005, light-duty diesel registrations (excluding pickup trucks and large SUVs) rose from 22,543 to 44,031, and that there are about 179,000 light diesels on the road.

Manufacturers of the new subcompacts expect to sell at least 30,000 of each model annually. But American car companies are not well positioned to leap into the market, said Erich Merkle, director of forecasting for automotive consultants IRN Inc

For the rest of the article, click here.

Scuderi Group to Unveil Design of New Air-Hybrid Engine To European Auto Industry at Engine Expo 2006

Hires longtime auto industry finance executive to oversee European operations

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA - May 3, 2006: The Scuderi Group, the engine development company that has designed a breakthrough Air-Hybrid Engine, announced today that it has expanded operations into the European marketplace. The company also announced that they have hired longtime auto industry finance executive Lutz Deyerling to oversee European operations.

Developed by a team of fluid and thermodynamic experts, the Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine is expected to deliver a quantum leap in performance, efficiency and environmental impact over today’s internal combustion engines.

The Scuderi Group accomplished these advances by focusing on the heart of the engine, challenging conventional approaches to engine design in place for over 120 years. Backed by the U.S. government, verified by a world renowned independent laboratory and protected by multiple worldwide patents, the Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine is adaptable to diesel and gasoline automobiles, commercial vehicles and any other applications powered by internal combustion engines.

The Scuderi Group will debut designs of its breakthrough air-hybrid technology, the world’s most fuel efficient internal combustion engine, to the European auto industry next week at the Engine Expo 2006 in Stuttgart, Germany (Booth 6200.)

Deyerling has deep roots in the European automotive industry, having worked in senior finance positions in the auto industry practice groups at Ernst &Young Corporate Finance GmbH, Bankgesellschaft Berlin and Deutsche Bank. Deyerling will assist The Scuderi Group in fundraising and licensing activities within the European automobile marketplace.

“Since we unveiled the breakthrough design of the Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine at the Society of Automotive Engineers 2006 World Congress, we have seen an explosion of interest from all over the world,” said Sal Scuderi, president of The Scuderi Group. “Gas-electric hybrids have a number of promising aspects, but they still have some troubling issues, such as complexity, weight and cost. This has automakers continually looking for the next evolution in hybrid technology. We are excited that Lutz has joined our organization, and we look forward to working with him to introduce The Scuderi Group and our Air-Hybrid engine technology to the European investment and automotive communities.”

“What drew me to The Scuderi Group was the way they have gone about developing the engine. All of the funds have been raised through private investment, leaving The Scuderi Group in control of its own destiny,” said Lutz Deyerling. “The development of the engine technology has been done in conjunction with a world-renown testing facility utilizing the most sophisticated computer modeling available today. When you combine these factors with their extensive global patent portfolio, the company is in a tremendous position to market its technology to automakers anywhere in the world.”

To read the full press release, click here.

Popular Mechanics has a very long, detailed look at alternativbe fuels in the current issue.

How far can you drive on a bushel of corn?
Crunching the numbers on alternative fuels.

For this special report, PM crunched the numbers on the actual costs and performance of each major alternative fuel. Before we can debate national energy policy–or even decide which petroleum substitutes might make sense for our personal vehicles–we need to know how these things stack up in the real world.

To read the entire article, click here.

To hear from the author of this article, check out Glenn & Helen Reynolds Podcast interview with Jim Meigs, Popular Mechanics Editor-in-Chief.

Ed Wallace has a contributed article in Business Week strongly questioning

Ethanol: A Tragedy in 3 Acts

Amid the current panic about gas prices many people are embracing ethanol. But that’s not such a good idea

To find out why, click here.