Demand for Green Eco-Cars Adding Auto Industry Jobs

As consumer demands for electric cars increase, so will jobs in green technology. The last five years have seen the auto industry handing out more pink slips than applications and even though it is agreed that the auto industry will most likely never return to its pre-recession employee numbers, the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly vehicles will see some jobs return.

According to information from Des Rosiers Automotive Consultants, in 2001, it there were 199,218 Canadians working in the auto industry. In 2009, a 7 per cent drop to 133,375 was noted and in April of 2010, there were an estimated 123,829 Canadians employed by the industry.

The Electrovaya Mississauga, Ontario plant is currently hiring engineers to help produce the lithium-ion batteries that run these green, eco-machines. Gitanjali DasGupta, manager of Electrovaya’s electric vehicle division says, “Every auto company is looking to green their fleets, to electrify their fleets. (The industry) is truly making a very structural shift. Electrovaya is an enabler of that and one of the key beneficiaries of that.”

Due to high expectations in the demand for green cars, Linamar Corp, which is Canada’s second largest manufacturer of auto parts in Guelph, intends to hire as many as 1,300 people by the end of 2011. Linda Hasenfratz noted in a recent interview that these numbers are the result of the consumer’s demand for the manufacturing of solar energy parts as well as to build more fuel-efficient cars.

Carlos Gomes, automotive economist at Scotiabank feels, “The next generation of jobs in the Canadian auto industry won’t come from the big automakers’ assembly plants, but from suppliers that develop innovative new technologies. I think that is one of the key trends going forward, especially because we now have legislation in place that requires the automakers to improve their overall fuel efficiency,” Gomes said.

The employment boost from the demand in green technologies won’t be felt until around 2015. “Certainly there will be an advantage from green (technology), but that’s not going to be instantaneous. We don’t expect to see massive impacts from green for some time,” says Bill Pochiluk, president of industry research firm AutomotiveCompass.

In April 2010, the Canadian and U.S. governments made a joint announcement regarding the new auto standards which include an increase of 40 per cent on fuel-efficiency and a 25 per cent reduction of greenhouse emissions within the next six years. These new compliances will put a strain on older cars that are still on the road, but putting in some environmentally friendly repairs in an attempt to upkeep is cheaper than altogether replacing your car.

Green IT : Reduce Your Information System’s Environmental Impact While Adding to the Bottom Line

Product Description
Reduce the environmental and budgetary impact of your IT infrastructure This groundbreaking work offers a complete roadmap for integrating environmentally sound techniques and technologies into your Information Systems architecture. Green IT explains how to adopt a business-driven green initiative and provides a detailed implementation plan. You will find strategies for reducing power needs, procuring energy from alternative sources, utilizing virtualization technologies, and managing sustainable development. Case studies highlighting successful green IT projects at major organizations are included. Keep your IT department and your organization in the green–both environmentally and financially–with help from this comprehensive guide. Work within current global initiatives and standards for e-waste Minimize power usage and use alternative cooling methods in your datacenter Transition your office into a paperless environment Equip your organization with green hardware, including EPEAT-, RoHS-, and ENERGY STAR-certified machines Implement efficient datacenter design in terms of energy consumption, cooling, server configuration, consolidation, cabling, redundancy, and more Virtualize servers and storage using the latest technologies from VMware, Microsoft, Compellent, Incipient, and others Measure existing datacenter efficiency using current metrics, and track progress with Business Intelligence tools Establish a green supply chain Explore the Software as a Service (SaaS) model Manage ongoing compliance and sustainable growth.

Enviro Express adding 18 LNG-powered tractors?

Fallout From The Spill
The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows the need for the ongoing development of alternative energy sources, two representatives from the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) said Friday.

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Ford to Engineer, Assemble Hybrid Battery Packs and Transaxles In Michigan, Adding 220 New Jobs

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DETROIT, Michigan -The first year of production of Nissan’s new electric car Leaf has been sold out, the head of the Japanese automaker, Carlos Ghosn, said Tuesday.

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Nissan’s new Leaf sells out in US, Japan: Ghosn
The first year of production of Nissan’s new electric car Leaf has been sold out, the head of the Japanese automaker, Carlos Ghosn, said Tuesday.

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Nissan’s new Leaf sells out in US, Japan: Ghosn
The first year of production of Nissan’s new electric car Leaf has been sold out, the head of the Japanese automaker, Carlos Ghosn, said Tuesday.

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Nissan’s new Leaf sells out in US, Japan: Ghosn
DETROIT, Michigan -The first year of production of Nissan’s new electric car Leaf has been sold out, the head of the Japanese automaker, Carlos Ghosn, said Tuesday.

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What truly is hoped to be accomplished by adding large Green Energy production systems to our already existing?

socialized energy production grids.
yet keeping the power and control over the energy sector in the very hands of the people who’s hands it not be in anyway.

Tesla was right guys. As was Edison.

Independent renewable energy production systems would halt this koyannisqatsi.

Take power away from those who use it against us and put it in the hands of the people.

I.E. Give it to the people?

Ever feel as if you’re one of the most misunderstood people on the face of the planet? LOL. ;)

Oh well.

So much for true freedom and independence i guess.

Why don’t they make cars more fuel efficient by adding more gears to the transmission?

Wouldn’t be nice to have a manual transmission car with 7 gears so that at 70 mph, in seventh gear, my rpm is barely 2000? Wouldn’t such a car be more fuel efficient that a regular 5 speed manual? Why don’t they make them?

Is adding a Hydrogen generator to my vehicle beneficial?

I see a lot of information – makes sense to me, but is it just a lot of snake oil in a different package. I plan to experiment, but value others’ advice and observations.