Considering how costly diesel fuel has become, there's literally no good reason to let any go to waste, right? That being the case, we were happy to see the conservation efforts of one man in the San Francisco Bay area, who has just placed eleven gallons of diesel fuel for a reduced rate on Craigslist.org. Why? Well, when his older diesel-powered Suburban's tranny went south, he had fuel left over in a few containers he kept in the back. Since he won't be driving that vehicle any longer, he has no need for the oily stuff. Why not let it go for a little extra cash? So, if anybody near South San Jose has a need for some discounted diesel fuel, check out the original ad here. Tell him AutoblogGreen sent you... just kidding. Thanks for the top, Soo!

Read

How's this for an idea? A $300 million prize for a better li-ion battery. The proposal comes from John McCain, so maybe he's over the gas tax holiday thing. AutoblogGreen also got the straight story from Elon Musk of Tesla Motors on just how things are going around there, starting right from

Read

As an individual, you might (repeat, might) have over $100,000 to spend on an all-electric sandcar. But, if you're the U.S. Government, perhaps $30m for plug-in hybrid development is more your style.

Read

Ségolène Royal (left) was the Socialist candidate who lost the French Presidential election and is currently the president of the Poitou-Charentes region. She said last weekend that Total, the big French oil company whose CEO thinks gas is cheap, should give back part of its profits to the people. Her idea is to have the company investing up to 80 percent of those profits in renewable energies. She said that this would help France be ready for the post-oil era. In addition, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (right), who also belongs to the Socialist Party, added that, "Oil companies' profits should be heavily taxed because they're earning a lot of money during a terrible crisis."

Read

You'd think the folks in Kansas City, Kansas had money to burn judging by this huge bonfire they held with a reservoir full of $4-per-gallon unleaded. Actually, the fire was caused by a lightning strike Tuesday night. After battling it for some time, firefighters said they would have to let it burn itself out. That could take two days, with 1.2 million gallons of gasoline being burned in the process. The fire apparently started around 7:30 PM at the Magellan Pipeline terminal near General Motors' Fairfax plant. The tank exploded and employees quickly mobilized to keep it isolated and prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding storage tanks.

Read

A former leader of DuPont's Bio-Based Materials (now called DuPont Applied BioSciences) is the new CEO of celulosic ethanol company SunEthanol. SunEthanol is working on making cellulosic ethanol using something called the Q Microbe. Dr. William Frey led the DuPont biomaterials work starting in the late 1990s.

Read

While one could argue that there is nothing inherently wrong with a plain old off-road capable mountain bike and its two large wheels, we still think that the pedal-powered four-wheel-drive vehicle seen above is pretty cool. Called the Trailcart, its German makers claim that it is the first of its kind. Using an eight-speed Shimano Nexus gearing system, the Trailcart seems like a fun way to burn some calories while enjoying the outdoors. We can't really see something like this working in a singletrack environment, but on Jeep trails or fire roads, plenty of noise-free fun could be had. It could be that the Trailcart would get people outdoors and exercising who wouldn't otherwise be able.

Read

Fabulous Fords Forever! is an all encompassing gathering of the Blue Oval Faithful that has been taking place at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, for more than two decades. And to call it a "Single Marque" show would be a misnomer. If it ever had a Ford motor in it, even if it is now considered an orphan model or brand, there was room for it at Fab: DeTomaso Panteras, Sunbeam Tigers, Merkurs, Canadian Mercury trucks, SVTs, whatever. And not to mention who knows how many Mustangs.

Read

Back at the New York Motor Show in March, X PRIZE Foundation & Progressive Insurance announced the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition with a USD 10 million prize purse. The competition is open to any team who can 'design, build and bring to market 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent) vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance'.

Read

At most auto shows car companies pull out all the stops in order to make their products shine, but Ford has taken a different route. The company displayed a crash-tested Ford Taurus at the New York Auto Show and will allow show goers to re-live the test crash in a theatre-like experience. Show goers will be positioned in the same place as the actual crash test dummies while a large video screen mounted a few inches in front of the windshield plays video of the car crashing into the wall at 35 mph.

The not so subtle meaning of the display is to remind consumers that the Taurus was a ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and received a five star rating for rollover resistance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ford expects the display to be a popular exhibit because more than 50% of consumers consider safety to be an important factor when purchasing a new vehicle.

Read

We’ve been eagerly awaiting the next iteration of Nissan’s Maxima sedan for some time now—but not for the reasons that one might think. With the Max’s kid brother, the Altima continuing to swell in dimensions and capabilities at a lower entry price, we’ve been thinking for some time now that the current car’s raison d’être has eroded.

For 2009, Nissan is heralding the return of the Maxima as a 4-Door Sports Car, a catchphrase that it had largely abandoned in recent years. To that end, the Max receives a reworked 3.5-liter VQ V-6, rated at 290 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque (increases of 35 and 9, respectively). Despite the 4DSC tagline, enthusiasts will have to slake themselves on Nissan’s Xtronic CVT—no manual will be made available, although buyers can spec the car with paddle shifters, as well as put the transmission in “Ds Mode” for crisper shifts.

Read

The American tuning firm Saleen has unveiled a new supercar, aimed at the likes of the Porsche 911 and Audi R8. Inspired by the $1 million S7 endurance racer, this is the Saleen S5S Raptor - and it promises to put the company firmly on the performance car map. The spectacular looking machine is powered by a mid-mounted, 5.0-litre V8, tuned to run on E85 bioethanol fuel.

Unveiled at the 2008 New York Motor Show, the car also gets a supercharger to lift power to an impressive 650bhp. Performance is channelled to the road via the rear wheels, through a six speed manual gearbox, while the car also gets huge 20-inch wheels and high performance brakes with powerful six pot callipers. Based on a weight saving aluminium spaceframe chassis - similar in concept to the one that underpins the Lotus Elise - the strict two seater promises a 0-60mph sprint of only 3.2-seconds and a top speed of 202mph.

Prices are yet to be announced, but its thought the car will sell for around £100,000 when it goes on sale early next year.

Read

Volvo made its enterance into the fastest-growing segment in the North American market with their new 2009 Volvo XC60. According to Volvo’s press release, the ’smal premium utility’ is growing quickly and is expected to expand by 75 percent to 443,000 cars by 2009.

Power comes from 6-cylinder turbocharged T6 engine that produces 235-hp. That’s the only variant that will be availabe in the XC60 when it arrives in U.S. in early 2009. All Wheel Drive (AWD) with Instant Traction is standard.

Read

Kia debuted its Koup concept this morning, advertising a design that is likely to make its way into future products.

The Koup has got the wild wheels and glass roof that one might expect from a concept of this ilk, with an aggressive stance and a front end that’s vaguely reminiscent of Honda’s latest European Civic. There are also no shortage of carbon fiber bits, the material can be found on the side mirrors, rear diffuser, even as part of the Kia badge. Less impressive is the car’s hood, which seems a little ill-fitting and broad, with raised character lines that give it a bit of a peaked appearance.

Read

The 2009 Honda Fit is set to shake the subcompact segment with its respectable top-of-class features, and Americans can finally drive it when the car goes on sale this fall.

The exterior is quite deceiving in respect of the interior space. Honda has promised that this entry-level car will not compromise with functionality and refinements, which is indeed evident. For that, the interior is generously spacious and rich in technology. Adding to the basic is the Magic Seat feature, which provides for multiple adjustment functions of the rear seats for improved spaciousness and seating positions.

The ‘Fit Sport’ option comes with even further refinements. The dashboard packs some new features including the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with 6.5” screen and the dynamic USB audio interface that is compatible with iPod and various other USB storage devices.

Read