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John Addison is the founder of Clean Fleet Report and continues to occasionally contribute to the publication. He is the author of Save Gas, Save the Planet and many articles at Clean Fleet Report. He has taught courses at U.C. Davis and U.C. Santa Cruz Extension and has delivered more than 1,000 speeches, workshop and moderated conference panels in more than 20 countries.

John Addison

Johnson Controls Plans Expansion for Lithium Car Batteries

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AT&T, Xcel Energy, Johnson Controls, So Cal Edison, and New York Power Authority have ordered Ford Transit Connect Electric. These pure battery-electric vans have an electric charge range of 80 miles and are a great fit for many fleet, small business, and delivery applications. In the United States, fleets control some 14 million vehicles. Some fleets placed initial orders for 10 or 20 Transit Connect Electrics; bigger orders could follow in 2011. JCI has ordered 20 Transit Connect Electrics to be part of its global fleet of 19,000 vehicles.

Cleantech Innovation Boosts Jobs – California Industries in New Report

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Energy efficiency, renewable energy, and information technology are all helping the U.S. overcome a severe recession and keep more people from losing their jobs. From our San Francisco roof deck, I am encouraged to see energy efficient homes, solar roofs, and electric buses gliding by. I am also discouraged to see massive ships from Asia sail into the harbor ladened with hundreds of rail cars full of Asian goods, then leave for distant customers with much lighter loads. But the trend may be reversed by innovation discussed in the new Clean Tech Job Trends 2010.

CODA – Pricey Electric Car without Premium Features

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CODA was taking people for rides at the Santa Monica Alt-Car Expo, but not letting them drive, in contrast to hundreds of potential buyers test-driving the Nissan LEAF. Sorry, but CODA did not appear to be worth $44,900 in contrast with the more sexy, more fully appointed Nissan LEAF priced at only $32,780. Both pure battery-electric cars are targeting 100-mile ranges. CODA with 33.8 kWh lithium battery pack is likely to have a better real world range than Nissan with 24 kWh battery pack.

California’s Electric Transit Ride

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People take hundreds of million electric rides each year in California. The big news is not the electric car drivers or those happily screaming on Disneyland rides; the larger story is network of connected electric rail, buses with cutting edge electric drive systems, and electric cars. Currently California leads the nation with 25,000 electric cars on the road and thousands of new electric charge stations are scheduled for installation. Hundreds of millions of rides are taken on electrified light-rail and commuter rail. Zero emission buses are on the roads. Renewable energy is growing by gigawatts.

Best 2011 Electric Cars at LA Auto Show this November

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The best electric cars for 2011 will be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November. Featured will be plug-in cars that can be ordered and delivered in 2011 including the Nissan LEAF, the Chevrolet Volt, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Coda, and Fisker. Also displayed will be hot electric cars and concepts for 2012 and beyond. SUV drivers that want to go electric will be excited to see the new aerodynamic 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV, the result of Toyota’s partnership with Tesla.

Ford Wins EcoGlobe Award for Technology in Fiesta ECOnetic

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Ford wins a major environmental award for its new technology that makes engines more efficient and uses some hybrid technology, such as auto-start-stop and braking regen energy without the cost of a true hybrid electric. The EcoGlobe award is recognition of its achievements in introducing environmentally-advanced, yet affordable technical solutions under the Ford ECOnetic Technologies.

9/11 – Americans Respond to Energy Security Challenge

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My ninth trip to teach a workshop at Two World Trade Center never happened because of the great tragedy 9/11. On September 11, 2001, thanks to heroes like Avel Villanueva the hundreds of people working for Sun Microsystems in Two World Trade Center all quickly evacuated the building and survived. “Please, with calmness, go to the nearest exit. This is not a drill. Get out.” Only after several pages and inspecting the vast 25th and 26th floors did Avel personally leave. Three minutes later the second plane hit Two World Trade Center.

Electric Car Charging and Sustainable Parking with integrated Wind Power

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Greenway Self-Park is Chicago’s new 11-story parking structure is the world’s first to combine integrated wind power, electric car charging, and two car sharing services with plans to offer electric cars. Beautifully integrated into the structure is a 12-paired array of vertical turbines, located on the southwest corner of the garage, designed to harvest energy 24/7 in this famous “Windy City.” Greenway car sharing partners include iGo and Zipcar which plan to expand their offerings of electric cars and plug-in hybrids.

Electric Cars Get A+ on Window Sticker

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When you go shopping for a new car it is useful to see a quick summary of fuel economy, how much you might save in fuel over 5 years, and the price. Now that people are web surfing faster, moving with purpose through auto shows, and scanning car lots with speed, the EPA is proposing adding grades “A” to “D” on window stickers. Pure battery-electric cars would get an “A+.” In my day, I had to work for every “A,” there were no incompletes, and I had to walk 5 miles daily to school in the snow. The idea of no “F” means that no gas guzzler will be left behind.

Shell’s new $12 Billion Investment in Sugarcane Ethanol with Cosan

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Shell and Cosan, one of the world’s largest sugarcane ethanol companies based in Brazil, signed binding agreements to form a $12 billion joint venture for the production and commercialization of ethanol and power from sugarcane. The JV would be the third largest ethanol producer in the world with 4,500 retail stations and annual production 440 million gallons. Sugarcane is the currently the most efficient feedstock for larger scale ethanol production. While corn ethanol delivers little more energy output than the total energy necessary to grow, process, and transport it; sugarcane ethanol delivers eight times the energy output as lifecycle energy input.

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