CEO Elon Musk, founder and chairman of Tesla Motors Inc., announced that they have been working with Daimler AG since 2007 to produce the Smart Car Electric microcars, with Tesla providing the battery packs and chargers need for initial plan to deliver 1,000 vehicles by the end of the year. During the North American International Auto Show, Musk told the Society of Automotive Analysts, “If the 1,000-vehicle fleet is a success and the economics make sense and the product is compelling, that will expand to tens of thousands of vehicles per year.”

Musk stressed that Daimler is looking at this joint project very seriously. Last year, Daimler brought the Smart fortwo to the United States during the time when gas prices skyrocketed. It reached more than 24,000 in sales, at US$12,000. The two-seater call is less than 9 feet long and carries a three-cylinder engine that produces 41 mpg (5.7 liters per 100 kilometers) during highway driving.

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The ExxonMobil Refining and Supply discloses that they will be spending at least $1 billion to beef up the production diesel of their three refineries. The company aims to increase the volume of production by as much as 6 million gallons per day.

The boost in the production of cleaner diesel in their 3 refineries can match the output of four average processing plants. The company fulfills its commitment to meet the demand for cleaner fuel in the market place.

The diesel refined by their factories contains a lower level of sulfur which contributes to a better emission. Aside from cars and other vehicles on the road, the cleaner fuel is also being used by the industrial sector.

The completion of the upgrades of their refineries is scheduled to be completed by 2010. This will further boost the supply of diesel with 15 parts per million level of sulfur in the market.

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