Did the EPA give the Nissan LEAF the expected 100-mile range rating, Lexus promotes its new hybrid vehicle with an interesting online campaign, and India’s first LEED Certified Gold Hotel is now open for business.
Conflicting Numbers with Nissan LEAF
The new Nissan LEAF automobile was intended to be designed for a 100-mile range, but real-world driving conditions have fallen flat; The EPA has officially given the LEAF a 73-Mile range rating. Under the most strenuous of conditions, such as sitting in traffic with the air conditioning system on, the car gets only 62 miles per charge. While expectations have lowered, the EPA has given the gasoline equivalent of 99 mpg an 106 mpg for the highway, which is double that of Toyota’s own ecocar, the Prius.
Lexus Promotes Hybrid with Online Campaign
Luxury brand cars are up to speed with their energy efficient vehicles. Lexus has even launched an online talk show to promote its CT 200h hybrid vehicle. The talk show, called Darkcasting, targets a younger generation of car buyers. Stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings converses with famous celebrities that drive the Lexus hybrid. The show began November 4 and subsequent episodes have lasted about five minutes. Cummings and her personality of the day drive around in a CT200h and discuss their career, the city, and of course, the car.
LEED Certified Hotel in India
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) have opened India’s first LEED Gold Certified hotel in Hyderabad. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The hotel boasts 250 rooms, and has perforated metal, which serves to reduce heat gain inside the hotel. The architects have also included a wastewater treatment facility on-site, which processes both gray water and wastewater before it is released back into the city’s sewer system.
Issues Arise with Funding of Green Deal and UK’s Green Investment Bank
The UK green energy industry and the green investment bank that is supposed to fund clean energy projects have had disagreements over sufficiency of funds. Many leaders in the energy sector do not think that the one billion pounds promised by the energy secretary Chris Huhne is enough. The Green Deal, passed several weeks ago, is the government’s main energy initiative. However, companies such as utility provider Centrica have announced costs upwards of 30 million pounds for their “Green Deal plan.” Although the company plans to use private funding for the plan, many still consider the government policy to be at fault. In fact, the company’s CEO argued that they are indeed investing the initial 30 million pounds but in the future, government funding must be organized.
BP Resumes Deepwater Drilling- in Egypt
British Petroleum can celebrate a return to deepwater drilling, this time in Africa. Seven months after the horrific spill in the Gulf, BP has announced their new their new operation in the West Nile Delta area of Egypt. The deepwater area is about 80 kilometers north of Alexandria in the West Mediterranean Deepwater. The well was drilled 6,350 m. deep and marks the first such discovery in the West Nile Delta. The UK company has yet to announce the potential of the reserves, but it is definitely deeper than older discoveries. For Egypt, the drilling is beneficial for the economy.