On April 20, 2004, after 40 years of fighting it was all smiles between auto executives from Detroit and the regulators of California’s health and emissions. That day a new governor signed the historic California Hydrogen Highways Executive Order.
The Metro Board of Directors has approved $5 million for a new solar generation. This starts a comprehensive three-year plan to install solar panels on every Metro Bus and Rail facility within its Los Angeles County service area. Solar panels will be installed on Metro Bus Division 18’s maintenance building rooftop and as shading structures in the employee parking lot and will consist of about 1,600 solar panels that together will generate 417 kilowatts of electricity, enough power to save Metro about $25,000 per month, or $300,000 per year.
Many fleets have specific goals to reduce petroleum dependency, meet cleaner emission mandates, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and begin pilot fleets that model their future goals. Fleets are expanding their use of hydrogen, natural gas and biofuels. Sometimes, they even save money in the process.
California currently has 2,500 daily riders on hydrogen vehicles including cars, light trucks, delivery vans and buses. New California regulation will require major public transit operators to have over 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell buses in service before 2022. Early fleet adopters of hydrogen are often major users of solar power.
Biofuels are becoming important options for cleaner transportation. Today’s available selection includes biogasoline, biodiesel, ethanol and butanol.
Many fleets have specific goals to reduce petroleum dependency, meet cleaner emission mandates, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and begin pilot fleets that model their future goals. Fleets are expanding their use of hydrogen, natural gas and biofuels. Sometimes, they even save money in the process. Here’s a source to find alternative fuel fueling stations.
Oil soars to $125 per barrel and economies around the world sputter or fall into recession. Enough is enough. Many biofuels can be blended with gasoline and diesel refined from oil, then pumped into our existing vehicles. The new biofuels have the potential to encourage sustainable reforesting and soil enrichment. Biofuel 2.0 provides a path to fuel from wood and waste, not food and haste.
Talking with the former Mayor of Curitiba and architect, Jamie Lerner, is like talking with Santiago Calatrava about designing buildings or having an imagined conversation with Frederick Olmsted about designing parks. Jamie Lerner designs cities. More accurately, he helps all create a strategic vision of cities for people, not cities for cars.
“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.
Tim Powers, GM Western Regional Manager, revealed more details of the GM Project Driveway at the California Hydrogen Business Council meeting. GM will select at least 100 initial drivers of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell from people applying to participate at chevy.com.