The Cleantech Week in Review: Gasoline passes $4.00 a gallon; drivers change their habits; and expect big improvements in electric car range by 2012.

Gas price record reaches $4 a gallon: There’s pain at the pump following Friday’s $11 dollar per barrel spike in crude oil prices. While Asian market oil prices opened slightly lower in early Monday trading, AAA reports that average U.S. gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon over the weekend. Meanwhile, government officials from five energy-consuming nations have been reduced to begging producers for more oil. (CNN)  – Monday, 9 June

NPD Finds Consumers Making Long-Term Changes: With $4 a gallon gasoline finally here — and the prospect of higher prices ahead — are people finally taking things seriously? Yes, says a new research project by the NPD Group. Some 43,000 drivers were surveyed to see how their habits have changed in recent months. The results: 12 percent says they’ve canceled vacations; another 12 percent are carpooling; 8 percent vacationed closer to home or have tried public transportation, respectively; and 6 percent have bought a more efficient vehicle o started telecommuting. (NPD Group)  – Tuesday, 10 June

Oil’s Mid-Week Dance: Don’t blame OPEC for the current runaway spike in oil prices — says OPEC. Cartel president Chakib Khelil points a finger at speculators and a weak U.S. dollar, saying that OPEC has a spare production capacity of 3 million barrels per day. That’s not to say demand isn’t rising faster than supply. Prices rose $2.15 a barrel to $133.46 Wednesday as investors wait on Thursday’s assessment of inventory data by the U.S. Department of Energy. (Forbes)  — Thursday, 12 June

Ford to retool truck plants to build cars: It won’t be cheap and it won’t be easy, but Ford wants to drag it production into the 21 century. CEO Alan Mullaly says the company is plotting how best to flip North American factories now producing big, unsalable trucks to build the smaller vehicles Ford sells successfully in Europe. The ambitious plan won’t be announced until next month, but will likely involve dumping behemoths such as the F-150 and E-Series van for a slimmed-down line of world cars. If Mullaly can make it happen, it will amount to the biggest product realignment in Ford history. (Detroit News)  – Thursday, 12 June

Newer Lithium Batteries Improve Electric Car Range: Researchers are already looking past the next generation of lithium storage batteries — expected in 2010 — to a third generation just two years later. Lithium cells are expected to give all-electric vehicles a range of about 105 miles (170 km) within the next two years. But by 2012, Nissan believes a new wave of lithium batteries will push the range of EV cars to 248 miles (400 km). Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan’s executive VP of research and development, says practical factors — such as battery charge times — will determine the scale of electric vehicle adoption. (WSJ.com)  — Saturday, 14 June

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