Clean Fleet Archives

May 2008

A123 Wins New Battery Award with U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium

(5/3/08) USABC, an organization whose members are Chrysler, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation, has finalized a $12.5 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery technology development contract with A123Systems for 10- and 40-mile electric range PHEVs. Green Car Congress

The Secrets of Curitiba

By John Addison (5/1/08) Jamie Lerner, renowned architect and former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, shares the secrets of success. The city is not a problem; the city is a solution. Cities like Curitiba are model solutions from driving less and enjoying life more. Clean Fleet Article

April 2008

California High-Speed Rail

By John Addison (Earth Day 2008). The California High-Speed Rail Authority believe they just may have the answer — an 800 mile statewide high-speed rail system that would serve more than 32 million passengers per year by 2020. Because the rail will be powered by electricity, and because of the efficiency of moving up to 1,200 people per train, CO2 emissions may be reduced by 12 billion pounds per year by 2020, and 18 billion pounds by 2030. Cleen Fleet Article

TH!NK Brings Electric Vehicles to the United States

(4/21/08) “The TH!NK city is the world’s only crash-tested and highway-certified EV and is ideal for markets such as California where we will initiate demonstration projects offering an exceptionally safe and fun car to drive” says Jan-Olaf Willums, CEO of Think Global. –“We are therefore proud to partner with the two pioneering investors in the clean tech field and to launch TH!NK city in North America with them.” TH!NK city reaches a top speed of 100 km (65 miles) per hour and can drive up to 180 km (110 miles) on a single charge. TH!NK Press Release

General Motors Looks Beyond Oil

By John Addison (4/16/08). “One of the most serious business issues currently facing General Motors is our product’s near total dependence on petroleum as a source of energy. To address this issue, we have been implementing a strategy to displace petroleum through energy diversity and efficiency,” explained Dr. Larry Burns, Vice-President of Research and Development for General Motors, during his keynote speech. Clean Fleet Article

Volvo Puts First Hybrid Trash Truck into Service

Volvo Trucks is now taking an important step towards commercialisation of this technology for heavy vehicles by launching two hybrid refuse trucks that will be tested in regular daily operations in Sweden by refuse collection firms Renova and Ragn-Sells. “This test phase is the last stage in the evaluation of our hybrid solution ahead of production launch,” reveals Staffan Jufors, president and CEO of the Volvo Truck Corporation. Climate and Environment Media

Hybrid Trash Trucks Do Heavy Lifting

(4/16/08) ISE Corporation (ISE), a leading supplier of hybrid drive systems for heavy duty vehicles, and Crane Carrier Company (CCC) have been selected by CALSTART's Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Refuse Working Group to build Class 7 and 8 hybrid electric refuse vehicles. The working group members taking part in this hybrid refuse vehicles pilot project include the Department of Sanitation, City of New York; the City of Chicago; and Solid Waste Management Department, City of Houston. There will be 5 vehicles built and powered by a variant of ISE's ThunderVolt hybrid drive systems. ISE Press Release

March 2008

The Clean Energy Scam

By Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine (3/27/08) Advocates are always careful to point out that biofuels are only part of the solution to global warming, that the world also needs more energy-efficient lightbulbs and homes and factories and lifestyles. And the world does need all those things. But the world is still going to be fighting an uphill battle until it realizes that right now, biofuels aren't part of the solution at all. They're part of the problem. Time Magazine Front Cover Story

UC San Diego Saves Millions with Realtime Management

By John Addison (3/26/08). Like all great universities, the University of California at San Diego, must either spend millions for car parking or spend millions for improved transportation. Using transportation demand management, UC San Diego is spending millions less in both areas. 27,500 students attend the university. “We encourage commuters to use alternate forms of transportation,” said Brian d’Autremont, TPS director. “Approximately 43 percent of UC San Diego commuters use some form of alternative transportation, including, bikes, buses, trains and vanpools.” Clean Fleet Article

French Post Plans 500 Electric Delivery Vehicles

(3/26/08) With frequent stops for regenerative braking and limited miles, postal delivery is ideal for electric vehicles. Venturi Automobiles and PSA Peugeot Citroën are partnering to supply electric vans based on the Citroën Berlingo First / Peugeot Partner Origin in response to a tender from the French Post Office, La Poste. Issued in April 2007, the international tender from La Poste initially involves the supply of a small number of test vehicles. Following a six-month trial period, during which the vehicles will be thoroughly tested, La Poste will select the supplier of 500 mail delivery vans. Green Car Congress

Oil Consumption Peaks for World’s #3 Consumer

By John Addison (3/17/08). “Only the USA and China consume more oil than California,” observes Jim Boyd, CEC. With oil prices soaring, California must reduce its dependency on oil to sustain prosperity and achieve energy security. As 38 million Californians deploy a range of solutions to reducing oil usage, the world will learn valuable lessons. In 2006, California consumption of gasoline peaked. In California, more people are driving fewer miles; importantly, fewer solo miles. More efficient vehicles are being used, often benefiting from hybrid-electric drive systems. As an alternative to oil, there is a growing use of biofuel, natural gas, hydrogen and renewable electricity. Clean Fleet Article

Subaru EV to Charge in 15-minutes

10.3 Billion Transit Trips in USA is New Record

FedEx’s Absolutely, Positively, Cleaner Fleet

By John Addison (3/4/08). With oil topping $100 per barrel, FedEx is also investing in hybrid, alt-fuel, and electric vehicles. FedEx hybrids have accumulated more than 1,000,000 miles in revenue service.100 diesel hybrids are in service globally, primarily in the U.S; 75 more hybrids will be added in 2008. The hybrids are an excellent investment with a 42% improvement in fuel economy. Clean Fleet Exclusive

TH!NK Delivers New EVs and Partners with A123

(3/11/08) The TH!NK City now offers a choice of three battery packs: a 28 k Wh Zebra sodium nickel chloride pack, a 26 kWh Li-ion pack from Enerdel and a 19 kWh Li-ion pack from A123Systems.' Customers can buy their own Th!nk City electric cars for about $30,000. The battery will be leased separately for about $300 per month. Think is delivering its first cars in Norway, with international sales to follow later in the year. GE is investing in TH!NK and A123. Green Car Congress

GM plans volume hybrids by 2010 with Hitachi Lithium-ion

(3/4/08) GM plans on a high-volume system to debut in North America in 2010, and then expand globally. Hitachi to supply new lithium-ion batteries. The cost-effective technology to improve fuel economy by up to 20 percent. This technology is showcased in the Saab 9-X BioPower Hybrid concept car which demonstrates 48 mpg. GM will introduce 16 new hybrid vehicles over the next four years. GM News

February 2008

Heavy-Duty Vehicle Trends for 2008

By John Addison (2/8/08). Most oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are not from passenger vehicles; they are from the heavy-duty vehicles, ships, and planes that move all our goods, serve public transit, and provide the infrastructure that keeps cities running. Heavy-duty operators have often been years ahead of passenger vehicle owners in using advanced technology to do more with less fuel. Article describes use of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, idle-off, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells, energy security and green supply chains. Heavy-Duty Cleen Fleet Report

Corn Ethanol and Soy & Palm Biodiesel Damage - New Study

(2/8/08 A new study from The Nature Conservancy and the University of Minnesota published in Science finds that many biofuels — seen by many as a potentially low-carbon energy source — actually emit more greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels they aim to replace. Instead of lowering greenhouse gases, a new lifecycle study shows corn ethanol doubling greenhouse gases in comparison to gasoline. Lifecycle analysis shows that biodiesel from soy and palm may create 17 to 420 times more carbon dioxide than the fossil fuels they replace." Nature Conservancy

Toyota's New Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car Debuts

(2/8/08) Toyota 1/X Plug-In Concept makes its North American Debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The hybrid powertrain in the ultra-lightweight 1/X combines a home-rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack with a 500cc flexible-fuel engine in a system that is 1/4th of the total weight of the Prius powertrain. The result is a vehicle with the possibility of traveling more than 600 miles on a small four-gallon tank of fuel and achieving acceleration performance equivalent to that of the Prius. Green Car Congress

Hyundai i-Blue Fuel Cell Vehicle with 370 Mile Range

(2/6/08) The i-Blue concept vehicle is designed to be an electric vehicle. It is powered by a 100 kW electric engine and fuel cell stack. Fueled with compressed hydrogen (700 bar) stored in a 115-liter tank, i-Blue is capable of running more than 370 miles per refueling and achieves a maximum speed of more than 100 miles per hour. i-Blue Newswire

January 2008

Smart Grids and Electric Vehicles

By John Addison (1/28/08). Several early models of passenger vehicles have enough energy stored in advanced batteries to power several homes for hours. Hybrid electric buses and heavy trucks could power many homes or a school or a hospital in an emergency. Recent announcements demonstrate that electric utilities and some auto makers want to make V2G a reality. The Smart Grid Consortium, established in December 2007 by Xcel Energy, will select a community of approximately 100,000 residents to become a Smart Grid City using V2G. The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Project Better Place have signed a MOU to create a mass-market for electric vehicles in Israel. Clean Fleet Report

Small Task-Oriented Vehicle (STOV) Market to reach $5.5 Billion by 2012

(1/11/08) Electric vehicles will continue to gain market share in the light duty utility and personal transportation segments reaching nearly 300,000 vehicles. In a comprehensive analysis of trends and latest developments in the small, task-oriented vehicle (STOV) market, International Market Solutions, LLC, finds strong gains in major non-fleet markets for NEV and projects sales grow from $3.2 billion today to $5.5 billion in 2012. IMS Report

Super Mileage Four-Door Sedans

By John Addison (1/17/08). Fuel economy was on display at the Detroit Auto Show and the North American International Auto Show. $100 per barrel oil and new CAFÉ standards have made improved fuel economy mandatory for auto makers. Most popular with individuals and fleets is the four-door sedan. Over the next three years, there will be a number of affordable offerings with fuel economy from 40 miles per gallon, to infinite miles per gallon. Announcements include $30,000 plug-in hybrids and diesel hybrids. Cleen Fleet Report

Eaton Introduces its First Commercial Hybrid Power System in China

Oil Exceeds $100 Per Barrel

(1/3/08) The surging price of oil, from just over $10 a barrel a decade ago to $100 yesterday, is altering the wealth and influence of nations and industries around the world. These power shifts will only widen if prices keep climbing, as many analysts predict. Costly oil already is forcing sweeping changes in the airline and auto sectors. It is intensifying the politics of climate change and adding urgency to the search both for fresh sources of crude and for oil alternatives once deemed fringe. The Wall Street Journal

2007 Archives

2006 Archives

Copyright (c) 2008 OPTIMARK