Welcome
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NEWS
Come and spend the day in celebration of
earth day. Alex Conger and Gary Ackaret of Idaho Ethanol and
Fuel Flex International will have a great booth representing
the ethanol industry and be speaking about ethanol and the
advantages of BIO fuels and Clean air.
more info here
Helpful Links and Information:
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Department of
Energy to Pursue Improved Vehicle Efficiency Research
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary
Samuel W. Bodman recently announced that the Department will
grant approximately $21.5 million for 11 cost-shared
research and development projects that seek to improve the
fuel efficiency of light-duty vehicles engines.
The projects will focus on improving fuel
utilization in ethanol-powered engines (optimization),
developing advanced lubrication systems, and researching
high efficiency, clean combustion engines. DOE says these
projects will help advance President Bush's 20-in-10
Initiative, which calls for displacing 20 percent of
gasoline usage by 2017 through increased use of clean,
renewable fuels, and improved vehicle efficiency.
Seven of the 11 projects, totaling $15.3
million, will focus specifically on enhancing flexible-fuel
engines and light-duty vehicles that run on ethanol-gasoline
blends up to 85 percent ethanol by volume (E-85). Research
in this area will seek to take advantage of favorable
properties of ethanol blends without reducing gasoline fuel
efficiency. Currently, flex-fuel vehicles are optimized for
gasoline use, not ethanol use; therefore, because of
ethanol’s lower energy density, there is an energy penalty.
Caterpillar Inc. was the sole recipient of
project funding dedicated to developing an environmentally
friendly lubricant additive for enhancing an engine’s fuel
efficiency. The company will partner with DOE’s Argonne
National Laboratory, NanoMech LLC, and the University of
Arkansas to pursue this effort.
The final three projects, dedicated to
developing advanced combustion engines for light-duty
vehicles, will receive a total funding of $5.7 million.
Companies chosen to pursue this research will take advantage
of complementary properties among combustion, fuels, and
emission control technologies to develop clean,
high-efficiency engines.
Totaling almost $43 million when combined
with industry, the 11 projects aim to improve the engine of
a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) by increasing performance and
fuel economy and decreasing emissions for the next
generation of efficient vehicles. Funding will begin this
year (Fiscal Year 2007, $3.1 million) and continue through
FY2010 (FY'08 - $8.6 million; FY'09 - $7.4 million; FY'10 -
$2.6 million), subject to appropriations from Congress. |
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Federal
Government to Give NYC $354 Million for Congestion Pricing
Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters
recently announced that the federal government will provide
New York City with $354 million to implement congestion
pricing in the City, if the State Legislature accepts Mayor
Michael Bloomberg’s proposal for charging traffic fees in
Manhattan by March 2008.
Last month the legislature failed to show
majority support for the Mayor’s hotly contested plan but
did propose sending the issue to a study commission that
would also consider other ways to reduce traffic in the Big
Apple. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, with the backing of
Governor Eliot Spitzer and Majority Leader Joseph Bruno
formed a 17-member commission to serve as a framework for
openly hammering out specifics over the next year, allowing
legislators ample opportunity to answer questions.
The announcement from Peters is a major
victory for Bloomberg, but does not guarantee that the
congestion plan will win approval in Albany. The proposal
still faces several hurdles. The commission will evaluate a
host of traffic mitigation measures, including congestion
pricing, and come up with recommendations. The commission
must give assent to the Mayor’s plan — and the State
Legislature and the City Council must act as well — before
the proposal can go forward.
Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing
proposal has attracted the broad support of business, labor,
environmental and transportation groups, but he has been
less successful at swaying state and city lawmakers
representing the boroughs outside of Manhattan. Public
opinion polls suggest that most Manhattan residents support
the proposal but that residents of the other boroughs —
Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx — do not.
Nonetheless, the substantial federal support for the project
gives enormous leverage to the Mayor as he continues to
press for his proposal.
The Mayor’s plan, unveiled in April,
proposes to charge car drivers $8 and trucks $21 a day to
enter or leave Manhattan below 86th Street on weekdays
during the workday. Those who drive only within the
congestion zone would pay $4 a day for cars, $5.50 for
trucks.
The $354 million is significantly less than
the $536 million the Bloomberg administration initially
requested from the federal government. It is, however, well
over the $200 million minimum federal commitment that the
Legislature had set as a precondition for its commission to
develop a similar traffic plan that, according to Peters,
must meet the same “performance goals” as Bloomberg’s plan
in order to receive the full federal allocation of $354
million.
New York City was chosen to receive federal
funding as part of a $1 billion federal traffic-mitigation
grant for those communities that submitted proposals for
Urban Partnership Agreements, part of a National Strategy to
Reduce Congestion. Citing Bloomberg’s proposal as different
because it’s “unlike anything we’ve ever tried before” and
“its emphasis is on results”, Peters believes the congestion
plan can be implemented quickly and will have an almost
immediate impact on traffic in New York City. |
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London to
Consider Higher Congestion Zone Charges for SUVs
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone,
recently announced that the city’s transit agency, Transport
for London, will begin a consultation on a scheme to charge
automobiles that emit the greatest amount of greenhouse
gages—chiefly “Chelsea Tractors” (SUVs), some sports cars
and expensive luxury vehicles—upward of $51 per day to drive
in the central London Congestion Charging Zone. The zone
presently covers parts of Westminster, Kensington and
Chelsea.
The consultation is being proposed as some
vehicles produce as much as two to three times the amount of
harmful emissions as the average family car. Within the
congestion pricing zone, the highest CO2 emitting vehicles,
which represent just 8 percent of the autos registered in
London, would be subject to the higher charge and would have
their residents’ discount revoked.
The majority of motorists within the zone
would be unaffected, however, and the least polluting
vehicles would receive a 100 percent discount and not pay
any congestion charge at all according to Transport for
London.
The proposed new charges include:
- Low CO2 emitting cars will receive a
100 percent discount. Includes cars in Vehicle Excise
Duty (VED) Bands A and B (less than 120g CO2 per km)
which also meet Euro 4 air quality standard.
- The majority of cars—VED Bands C, D, E
and those in F with emissions up to 225g CO2 per km—will
continue to pay exactly the same daily charge as
present.
- The highest CO2 emitting cars—VED Band
G and equivalent vehicles (above 225g CO2 per km), as
well as those registered pre-March 2001 with engines
larger than 3,000cc—will pay $51 per day.
Excluding aviation, transport in London
accounts for 22 percent of CO2 emissions, with cars
contributing nearly half of that figure. According to a
poll conducted for the Mayor’s office, 64 percent of
Londoners believe the most polluting vehicles in the city
should pay a higher congestion charge.
To learn more about London’s congestion
charging system, visit Transport of London’s website:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/5667.aspx |
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California ARB Workshops to Focus on Hydrogen Production
Standards
The California Air Resources Board (ARB)
will conduct two public workshops next month to discuss the
environmental standards for hydrogen production and use in
transportation in support of Chapter 877 of California State
Senate Bill 1505.
Senate Bill 1505, signed into law in
September 2006, directs the ARB to develop regulations that
require environmental limits—including the reductions of
greenhouse gas emissions, criteria air pollutant emissions
and toxic air contaminant emissions—be achieved during the
production and use of hydrogen.
Minimum requirements of the bill include:
- Well-to-wheel emissions of greenhouse
gases for the average hydrogen-powered vehicle fueled by
hydrogen from fueling stations that receive state funds
to be at least 30 percent lower than emissions for the
average new gasoline vehicle in California when measured
on a per-mile basis.
- On a statewide basis, no less than 33
percent of the hydrogen produced for, or dispensed by,
fueling stations that receive state funds be made from
eligible renewable energy resources.
- All hydrogen fuel dispensed from
fueling stations that receive state funds be generated
in a manner so that local well-to-tank emissions of
nitrogen oxides plus reactive organic gases are at least
50 percent lower than well-to-tank emissions of the
average motor gasoline sold in California when measured
on an energy equivalent-basis.
- Well-to-tank emissions of relevant
toxic air and contaminants for hydrogen fuel dispensed
from fueling stations that receive state funds be
reduced to the maximum extent feasible at each site when
compared to well-to-tank emissions of toxic air
contaminants of the average motor gasoline fuel on an
energy-equivalent basis. In no case shall the toxic
emissions be greater than the emissions from gasoline on
an energy-equivalent basis.
To be held in Sacramento on September 18th
and in El Monte on the 19th, the workshops will provide an
overview of the statutory requirements and ARB’s proposal
for implementation, and discuss how to best implement the
requirements of SB 1505.
To see a copy of chapter 877 of SB 1505,
please visit:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/sen/sb_1501-1550/sb_1505_bill_20060930_chaptered.pdf |
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Study
Examines Automotive Product Planning and Development Process
In response to increasing pressure for
regulations mandating reductions in automotive fuel
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the Center for
Automotive Research (CAR) and Environmental Defense have
produced a report that examines the decision process and
factors implicit in forming a capital budget for a major
vehicle or drivetrain program.
The study indicates that the process for
bringing a motor vehicle to the North American market is
much more difficult, time-constrained and dependent on
numerous external factors not readily apparent to the
general public.
Supplemented by confidential interviews, the
following excerpts are included in the study entitled, “How
Auto Makers Plan Their Products- A Primer for Policy Makers
on Automotive Industry Business Planning”:
A great deal of public discussion has
focused on petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions from
automobiles. An inevitable response has been to call upon
automakers to produce higher-mileage vehicles. Many
policymakers have suggested regulations to spur more fuel
efficient designs. But little effort has been made to
explain to policymakers and the public the intricate
decision-making process entailed in changing vehicle designs
or adjusting product plans to meet new needs.
Understanding the process by which
product planning and strategic business decisions are
reached is a crucial foundation for developing sound
approaches to meet the auto sector’s unique challenges
related to energy use and climate change. To help understand
these issues, this report reviews automotive product
planning practices and synthesizes insights from a set of
confidential, executive-level interviews. The interviews
garnered perspectives from key individuals at companies
accounting for 60 percent of the US automotive market—“How
Automakers Plan Their Products.”
The process of developing a new program,
whether for a new or redesigned vehicle or a powertrain,
typically spans two and one-half years from concept to
launch. The first six to twelve months of that process is
critical. It is during this strategy development that the
automakers set the major parameters defining the program and
develop a business case. Parameters set at this point
include market segment and competitive positioning, expected
sales volume and price, and key vehicle attributes including
size, performance, drivetrain and other major technology
options.
A complete cycle plan—the layout, along a
multi-year time axis, of a company’s plans for the design,
engineering, tooling, launch and production life of all of
its various vehicle lines and model—usually spans 10-15
years.
A copy of the joint CAR/Environmental
Defense report can be accessed here:
http://www.cargroup.org/documents/ProductDevelopmentFinalReport7-30.a.pdf |
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GM Firm on
Development and Production Timeline for Chevy Volt
Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman for
Global Product Development, recently affirmed that GM will
integrate a lithium-ion battery pack that meets the specific
requirements of its “E-Flex” electric vehicle architecture
system by October of this year, will begin road testing the
Volt next spring and remains on track to begin production by
late 2010.
GM and A123Systems have been collaborating
on nanophosphate battery chemistry for use in GM’s electric
drive E-Flex system. The resulting battery packs are
expected to expedite the development of batteries for both
plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) as well as fuel
cell variants utilizing the auto company’s E-Flex
architecture.
Earlier this year, GM awarded contracts for
advanced development of battery packs which require the
integration of multiple battery cells to Compact Power,
Inc., a subsidiary of Korean battery manufacturer LG Chem,
based in Troy, Michigan, and to Frankfurt, Germany-based
Continental Automotive Systems, a division of Continental
A.G., a tier one automotive supplier.
CPI will use battery cells developed by
parent company LG Chem. Continental will use the cells
being developed by GM and A123Systems.
Denise Gray, Director of GM’s Energy Storage
Devices and Strategies, spoke positively of A123System’s
work for GM by saying the company is a top-tier battery
supplier with proven technologies and that GM is confident
that their solutions will meet the battery requirements for
the E-Flex System.
A123Systems currently manufactures more then
10 million cells annually, making it the largest producer of
batteries with nanophosphate chemistry in the world. While
most of these cells are used in rechargeable power tools,
the company believes further advances in the technology will
allow them to extend the cells for use in other
transportation-related applications.
In May, A123Systems introduced its
automotive-class, large format 32-series lithium-ion cells
which are specifically designed for hybrid electric (HEV)
and PHEV vehicles. The 32113M1Ultra high power cells are
designed to meet requirements of HEV applications, with high
power by volume and cost-per-watt. The 32157 M1HD cell uses
a higher-energy electrode design geared specifically for
PHEVs, and should offer greater volumetric energy density
and the lowest cost-per-watt-hour. Currently used in the GM
Saturn VUE PHEV Development Program, the 32157 M1HD cell is
designed to offer superior calendar and life cycle at high
depth-of-discharge (DOD), as well as excellent power density
for charge-sustaining operation.
In addition to the Volt plug-in model,
General Motors also plans to produce a plug-in version of
the upcoming Saturn VUE Green Line two-mode hybrid.
For more information on the Chevy Volt,
please see: http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/
For prior EESI coverage on the Chevy Volt, please see:
http://www.eesi.org/publications/Newsletters/CleanMotion/CM_Jan07.htm |
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Ford of Europe
to Introduce New Low CO2 Models at Frankfurt Motor Show
Ford of Europe plans to introduce a select
line of low CO2 vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show in
September.
The company’s “ECOnetic” models will use the
latest common-rail diesel powertrains combined with other
carefully-selected features engineered to reduce CO2
emissions. The first, to be launched by the end of 2007,
will be the Ford Focus ECOnetic, which promises to deliver
the best-in-class CO2 emissions for conventional powertrain
technology at 115g/km.
The new Focus ECOnetic, which will be
available in early 2008, is powered by a 108hp (80kW) 1.6
liter Duratorq TDCi engine with standard Diesel Particulate
Filter, and delivers an average fuel consumption equivalent
to 54.7 mpg by U.S. standards, which corresponds to the
115g/km CO2 emission measurement.
John Fleming, Ford of Europe President and
CEO, said, “By launching specific models, with dedicated
Ford ECOnetic badging, which achieve ultra-low CO2 results,
we will give a clear alternative to those customers who
prioritize low emissions performance in their purchasing
decision.”
Ford reduced the drive resistance and
improved the aerodynamics of the Focus by lowering the
vehicle, adding aerodynamic improvement features and
utilizing different tires.
A further measure to reduce driving
resistance in the Focus ECOnetic is the introduction of a
new low-viscosity transmission oil developed by Ford’s fuel
partner British Petroleum (BP). Under testing, the
efficiency benefits were found to be so significant that
Ford plans to introduce this new transmission oil across
other Ford products. |
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Nissan to
Include Fuel Efficiency Gauge in New Models
Nissan Motor Company recently announced that
it will equip all future new models with a fuel efficiency
gauge to provide drivers with more information about how
their driving styles directly relate to fuel economy. The
feature will also be available to owners of current models
scheduled for minor product upgrades, including most
Japanese models and the Nissan Altima and Infiniti G35 in
the United States.
The gauge provides drivers with both
readings of fuel efficiency and average efficiency
performance. By accelerating, for example, drivers can
instantly see increases in fuel consumption reflected on the
gauge. Based on Nissan’s trials, drivers have tended to
improve their eco-driving habits due to witnessing such
real-time fuel efficiency readings. Coupled with overall
improvements such as smoother acceleration and braking,
which also have positive impacts—up to 10 percent according
to the company—on fuel efficiency, drivers should gain a
clear sense of the savings and efficiency their vehicles are
providing them.
The introduction of the fuel efficiency
gauge builds on Nissan’s CARWINGS navigation system, which
the company introduced in January 2007 “to educate and raise
awareness among drivers on the impact of day-to-day driving
habits on their vehicle’s fuel consumption average.”
Although currently available only in Japan, the new service
will provide drivers with data on their average
fuel-consumption according to driving habits, and allows
drivers to track and monitor improvements to their
eco-driving skills over a period of time. The system can
calculate the average fuel efficiency performance of each
vehicle equipped with CARWINGS through data sent directly to
the CARWINGS Center, where the data can be retrieved on the
member’s personalized webpage.
Through the installment of the fuel
efficiency gauge on the instrument cluster of Nissan model
automobiles, the company hopes to further increase awareness
of eco-driving to a wider segment of its driving audience.
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CALSTART Announces 2007 Blue Sky Award Winners
CALSTART, North America’s leading advanced
transportation consortium, has announced the 2007 winners of
its prestigious Blue Sky Awards. The Awards recognize
outstanding marketplace contributions to clean air, energy
efficiency, and to the clean transportation industry overall
by companies, organizations and individuals.
Recipients are selected for bringing new
vehicles, fuels or technologies to market; for significant
implementation of clean, sustainable transportation; or for
noteworthy policy or technology breakthroughs that affect
the marketplace.
This year’s award winners included:
- Navistar International Corporation
received the 2007 Blue Sky Award for its investment in
the engineering, development, field assessment and 2007
production launch of medium-duty hybrid trucks earlier
and faster than its competitors, making hybrids into a
commercial product;
- The 2007 Blue Sky Leadership Award
honored the late Édouard Michelin, CEO and Managing
Partner of the Michelin Group, for his global leadership
to further advanced transportation technologies, most
notably through the annual Challenge Bibendum vehicle
efficiency competitions;
- The Charles R. Imbrecht Blue Sky
Innovation Award is given for innovative leadership
actions in policy and technology that impacts and
expands the clean transportation market, was awarded to:
- James Hankla of the Port of Long
Beach and David Freeman of the Port of Los Angeles
for their unprecedented work together and with their
organizations to create and implement the San Pedro
Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan; and
- California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger and California Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez for their passage of landmark
legislation AB32: The California Global Warming
Solutions Act.
- Three Blue Sky Merit Awards, for
meaningful actions supporting and expanding advanced
transportation, were awarded to:
- Cummins Westport for introducing
and producing natural gas engines in a new market
for heavier duty vehicles and for consistently
meeting tough emission requirements in advance of
regulations;
- Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) for
both helping launch the battery-powered,
neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) market in 1998
and for continuing to improve, produce and expand
vehicle sales in the years since; and
- Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla for
his company’s commitment to significant financial
investments in the development of advanced
transportation fuels and technology companies,
leading the way for other investors in the process.
“Energy security and climate change worries
have focused greater attention on the importance of advanced
transportation,” said CALSTART President and CEO John Boesel.
“With nearly four dozen quality nominees, it’s becoming
increasingly more challenging to pick the most deserving
winners.”
CALSTART selects the award winners in a
review process together with a multi-disciplinary selection
panel made up of environmental and industry leaders,
including representatives from the Natural Resources Defense
Council, the American Lung Association of California and the
Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Blue Sky Award has been presented since
1996 to industry leaders for outstanding marketplace actions
in clean, advanced transportation. Past winners have
included General Motors, ISE Corp., New Flyer, Toyota,
Pickens Fuel, Ballard and others. The Charles R. Imbrecht
Blue Sky Innovation Award, named for the longest serving
former chair of the California Energy Commission, celebrates
policy and technology innovation that moves markets. The
Blue Sky Leadership Award is given periodically for
outstanding personal leadership to expand advanced,
sustainable transportation markets.
To learn more about WestStart-CALSTART,
visit their website:
http://www.calstart.org/ |
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North Carolina Solar Center Launches New
“Clean Transportation” Website
The North Carolina Solar Center’s Clean
Transportation program at NC State University has launched a
new website to help users’ access information about
alternative fuel and advanced transportation technologies
that help reduce harmful emissions and diversify fuel
supplies.
Some of the features of the new website
include:
- Highlighting the most recent news items
related to alternative fuel and advanced transportation
technologies in North Carolina.
- Featuring upcoming related events and
promoting any clean transportation activity in the
state.
- Providing updated fact sheets that
explain the latest developments and advances for
alternative fuels and advanced technologies such as
biodiesel, ethanol, compressed natural gas, and other
mobile emission reduction technologies. Additional
documents provide information on state and federal
incentives, and updated lists of biofuel distributors
and retail locations.
- Documenting project developments and
results.
- Disseminating research related to
alternative fuels and advanced transportation
technology.
- Serving as a clearinghouse for funding
opportunities available to businesses, government and
non-profit projects that reduce transportation-related
emissions.
- Recognizing exemplary efforts to reduce
mobile emissions through success stories and Mobile CARE
award.
- Offering options to get involved with
enhancing North Carolina’s economy and environment
through transportation emission solutions
As a primary resource of alternative fuel
and advanced transportation technologies for the residents
of North Carolina, the website will strive to maintain the
most up-to-date information and be user-friendly to the
public.
Visit the North Carolina Solar Center’s new
site here:
www.cleantransportation.org |
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North American International
Powertrain Conference
September 19-21, 2007
Westin Arlington Gateway
Arlington, VA
For more information, please visit
http://www.sae.org/events/naip/ or phone (724)-776-4970
2007 HTUF National Meeting (Hybrid
Truck Users Forum)
September 19-21, 2007
Seattle, WA
For more information, please visit
http://www.calstart.org/programs/htuf/htuf_part.php or
phone (626)-744-5600 |
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