Nov 06 2009

The Green Seen

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy and the environment caught our attention this week:

Smart grids. Smart meters. Now come smart thermostats. Silicon Valley startup EcoFactor will collect weather data to fine tune home air conditioning and heating systems to keep the occupants comfortable and energy efficient. The company has a three-year deal with Texas utility Oncor to test the program. EcoFactor plans to market the product on a subscription basis offered by utilities and companies selling energy management services.

Auto executives told the Reuters Autos Summit in Detroit this week that raising the gas tax will put more American drivers behind the wheel of fuel-efficient cars. Gradually raising gas taxes to where fuel costs at least $4 to $5 a gallon would do more to stimulate demand for next-generation cars like the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid than other policy initiatives like raising national fuel efficiency standards, auto execs said. Steep gas prices in the current fragile economy, however, would likely be extremely unpopular.

BusinessWeek has published a slide show of the "Fifty Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years," with the Toyota Prius showing up on the list along with some other good lookers like Ferrari Enzo and the Chevy El Camino, a combo car and truck that earns "one of the greatest cars of all time" honors from The Big Money.com. Among the ugliest: Pontiac Aztek, the Yugo and Cadillac Cimarron.

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