Filed under: Etc., MPG, Legislation and Policy

As consumers, most of us have formed an opinion of the domestic automakers as well as the foreign automakers and their stance on fuel economy. Some of us see a difference between the domestics and Japanese companies when it comes to their commitment to the environment through fuel economy, and some of us don’t. Feel free to vent in the comments if you’d like to. In my opinion, the more people speak out and let the automakers know what they think and what they would like to buy, the better chance we have of actually making a difference. And, be sure to check out this article, which describes how one dealer, Adam Lee, president of Lee Automalls in Maine, attempted to vent while making a real impact of his own on the topic. He did so at the EPA‘s meeting that considered the State of California’s desire to raise fuel economy requirements for new cars. Of course, he also notes that he might have no impact at all, “I’m just a car dealer from Maine and I doubt anyone will listen to me.”

I would like to see his statements have some impact, how about you? After all, Lee’s business is dependent on the business of the auto industry. And, you should know that Lee has dealerships which sell both foreign and domestic cars, so he should both know what he is talking about, and should seemingly have no motive to bash one but praise another.

Here is the website for Lee Automalls. Do you want to back him up in sending “a not-so-gentle nudge in the right direction”, as he put it?

[Source: Detroit News]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid

It may look like something you might have pulled out of a Kenner G.I. Joe package during your salad days in the ’80s, but the “Aggressor” off-road Alternative Mobility Vehicle is no toy. In fact it’s very real, and the first prototypes are ready for testing by the men in green.

The tough-looking buggy uses a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain developed by Quantum Technologies. Green and mean, the setup provides strong performance credentials (0-40 mph in 4 secs) and affords the vehicle a level of stealthiness not found in conventional machinery. How so? It can run in a battery-only mode that allows the AMV to run silently and with a reduced heat signature, making it much more difficult to detect when it’s operating covertly. Seems like a no-brainer for the military, as quieter will always be better when working in hostile environments.

The vehicle and its powertrain, according to Popular Mechanics, have also been talked about for potential use domestically in roles such as border patrol and park service duty. The quieter operations of hybrid vehicles is often touted as a nice side benefit when discussing passenger cars and commercial vehicles. For the military, however, it’s clearly a big selling point. In a bit of a role reversal, the rest of the drivetrain’s advantages are the gravy.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Toyota

I’ll admit that I was mildly surprised to read that Toyota was going to start offering flexible fuel vehicles for sale in Brazil soon. Well, let me clarify that: I was surprised to hear the Toyota was not already offering flexible fuel vehicles for sale in Brazil. There, that’s better. As the article mentions, ethanol is much cheaper in Brazil than petroleum, and most consumers would not want to purchase a car that they would be forced to use gasoline in. As you are probably aware, Brazil has been pushing forward for a while now to do away with gasoline in general, replacing it with ethanol derived from locally grown sugar cane. Most vehicle manufacturers have been selling vehicles which are capable of running on the alcohol fuel, again as the article mentions, including Honda – arguably Toyota’s chief rival from Japan. With 80 percent of all vehicles sold in Brazil flex-fuel compatible, this news should not be surprising to anyone, unless, like me, they assumed that Toyota had already been offering them!

Note the flag above. It says “Order and Progress” (translated into English). Any thoughts on whether the conversion to ethanol from petroleum is progress? I’ll say “Yes”, but qualify that by saying that it could progress even further if they were able to use a cellulosic process to get the alcohol. At least they’re not using corn!

[Source: Detroit News]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hydrogen, Ford

Ford has just delivered the first four of a fleet of eight E-450 shuttle buses powered by hydrogen in Orlando Florida. The shuttles will be used to move passengers around the Orlando Airport and the Orlando Convention Center. The buses use Ford’s 6.8L V-10 with an added supercharger and fuel system modified to use hydrogen gas.

Since the buses are being used in a limited area, a single Chevron hydrogen station will be able to fuel all the vehicles. Four more buses will be delivered to customers in Florida in the coming months. The first five hydrogen fueled shuttles were delivered in Ottawa and Vancouver Canada late last year and by the end of 2007 they expect to have thirty of these buses on the road around North America. Orlando is already home to five of the Focus FCVs that are part of a test fleet that has accumulated over 500,000 miles in the last two years. The Ford press release is after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

FORD DELIVERS FIRST ULTRA CLEAN HYDROGEN POWERED BUSES TO U.S. CUSTOMERS

* Ford is the world’s first automaker to deliver commercial vehicles, powered by internal combustion engines that are fueled exclusively with hydrogen.
* The buses will be used as passenger shuttles at the Greater Orlando Airport Authority in Florida, as well as at the Orlando Convention Central District.
* Ford is the only automaker with gasoline hybrid-electric vehicles, hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles, clean diesel, ethanol and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles on the road today.

ORLANDO, Fla. May 23, 2007 – Ford Motor Company and the State of Florida today announced that they are putting a fleet of hydrogen-fueled Ford E-450 buses on the road in Orlando, the first U.S. city to take delivery of these ultra clean vehicles.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist marked the occasion at a Chevron Hydrogen station that will provide fuel for eight buses, powered by internal combustion engines that are fueled exclusively with hydrogen.

“These buses represent part of Ford Motor Company’s strategy to deliver transportation solutions that emit less CO2 and reduce our dependence on oil,” said Sue Cischke, Ford senior vice president. Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “We are pleased to partner with the State of Florida, Progress Energy and Chevron Hydrogen to place these buses into service so that Central Florida residents will be able to experience this unique form of clean transportation.”

“Today’s event demonstrates the incredible level of support hydrogen technology is receiving from our nation’s distinguished business leaders,” said Governor Charlie Crist. ” Florida is excited to be a part of these revolutionary advancements and we are embracing the challenges that lie ahead. We are committed as state to be a leader in both the policies and projects that protect our economy and our environment.”

Power for the Ford E-450 shuttle buses is provided by a 6.8-liter V-10 engine that has been supercharged and modified to run exclusively on hydrogen fuel. Of these eight vehicles – the first to be operated in the United States – two will be used by the Greater Orlando Airport Authority (GOAA), and two by the Orlando Convention Central District. The remaining four will be delivered to customers in Florida at a later date. Ford delivered five buses to Canada, three in Ottawa and two in Vancouver in late 2006. In all, Ford will deliver 30 buses to customers across North America by year’s end.

The Ford E-450 shuttle buses in Florida are part of the state’s broader plan to move toward a greater use of alternative fuels. Last year, Ford delivered five hybrid hydrogen Ford Focus Fuel Cell vehicles as part of separate effort with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Progress Energy to gain feedback on hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine Technology

Ford Motor Company believes hydrogen internal combustion engine technology can serve as a bridge to enabling hydrogen to become a viable alternative fuel. Hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines have many advantages, including high efficiency, all-weather capability, and near zero emissions of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases (CO 2). They also can be hybridized for further gains in fuel efficiency.

While these hydrogen internal combustion engine shuttle buses will provide valuable real-world experience, Ford also is conducting research into next generation hydrogen internal combustion engines, including features such as direct injection to enhance power and fuel economy.

Hydrogen Part of a Broader Effort

Ford’s strategy for alternative fuels is built around multiple technologies, including hydrogen internal combustion engines. This flexible approach allows the company to meet goals for customer needs, environmental impact and shareholder interests. The strategy does not focus on one catch-all solution, but offers a flexible array of options, including hybrids, E85 ethanol, clean diesels, bio-diesels, advanced engine and transmission technologies and hydrogen fuel cells.

The company already has a fleet of 30 hydrogen powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide, seven-city program to conduct real world testing of fuel cell technology. The 30-car fleet has accumulated more than 500,000 miles since its inception in 2005, more than 90,000 of which have been logged in Florida.

Ford also is conducting tests with the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive. The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive uses a series electric drivetrain with an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator to give the vehicle a range of 225 miles with zero emissions.

Currently, Ford offers gasoline-electric hybrids including the Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The company will also offer hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan in 2008.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Whether you're wrapping up a sandwich, covering leftovers or using it on the grill, aluminum foil can be reused over and over again. And when you're finished, it can be recycled along side those soda cans.

As a household item, aluminum foil has a multitude of uses, especially in the kitchen. When storing or cooking food, foil keeps the good stuff in and keeps out light, unwanted moisture and bacteria. Just make sure to not wrap acidic foods, such as oranges, lemons or tomatoes as they'll react with the aluminum. And keep it out of the microwave.

Although foil is not made from petroleum, the mining and processing of aluminum is extremely resource intensive. The good news is aluminum foil is 100% recycleable, and recycled aluminum foil uses 95% less energy to produce than foil made from virgin aluminum.

Recycled aluminum foil is available at many major supermarkets these days, but if you can't find it at a store near you it is available online. And before you throw the foil in your recycling bin, make sure to get as much food off of it as possible. Check out the website of your local department of sanitation or recycling service for more information on aluminum recycling in your area.

Amy says: I don't have a microwave and often reheat things in the oven. I'll store my leftovers in the fridge on an oven safe plate/dish covered with foil that way I can just pop it right into the oven when I'm ready, which saves a lot of prep time. To store the foil, I flatten it out, wash it off (as best as I can) and fold it up. I find I don't go through as much foil by reusing it, which makes the $3.99 roll of recycled aluminum foil well worth the price tag.

More info at Grist.org

Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy

Last week, as part of New York City’s work on a congestion charges for parts of Manhattan, the Deputy Mayor of London, Nicky Gavron, spoke at a forum sponsored by the Drum Major Institute (DMI) in New York. Also present at the forum were New York City Councilmember Eric Gioia of Long Island City and Sunnyside, Central Labor Council executive director Ed Ott and John Liu, chair of the New York City Council Transportation Committee representing Flushing. According to blogger-on-the-scene Lindsay Beyerstein, Gavron said that the London congestion charge brings in about $122 million for London while reducing the number of cars in the restricted area by a third. And people like the charge more now than they did before it went into effect.

There’s a blow-by-blow account of the forum here.

[Source: This Modern World, DMI]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Transportation Alternatives

Ah yes, the good old rickshaw. I have never seen one in actual use myself, but that’s probably because I don’t regularly leave the continental United States, where they are not a very popular choice, even in urban areas. But, I read that they are common in other parts of the world, and we have covered them a few times in the past. When I first read the headline for this story, the first thing that came to mind was the story we had a while back about the walking electric rickshaw pulled by a fake president. It’s true, click here for that if you happened to miss it the first time around. But, what the article is talking about is much more normal than that. They talk a bit about the older two-stroke autorickshaws that are still being used in certain parts of the planet, in part because they are cheap to purchase and easy and inexpensive to fix. However, they are bad polluters. But, not all autorickshaws are powered by two-stroke engines, in fact, some have very economical four-stroke powerplants. Even better would be one of the solar or battery electric models talked about in the article. Best: This one?

The other day I wrote a little piece about using a scooter in New York City. When I read this article, I started to think about my own trips to New York, and the fact that when I hailed a taxi, I was almost always the only person in it. That means I was using a two-ton, exhaust-belching behemoth to move a few blocks from one place to another. Even worse, it would have been quicker just to walk some of the time. Would an electric autorickshaw have worked? Sometimes, and if one had been available, I surely would have tried it out! Maybe the mayor should think about that before he orders all those hybrid taxis?

Alternate Title: All your rickshaw’s are belong to us. Didn’t use it ’cause it’s overused. But that doesn’t mean it’s not funny.

[Source: About my Planet via Hugg]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Diesel, Green Culture, Hybrid

Click image for small photo gallery of the new UPS HEV truck

What can brown do for you? It can be more environmentally responsible when its trucks roll up to your doorstep to deliver that Rockford Files Season 2 box set you’ve been anxiously awaiting. The package delivery company has just added 50 brand-new HEV delivery trucks to its fleet. Coming in two sizes from either Workhorse Custom Chassis or Freightliner, the new trucks will look just like the other big brown vans, but graphics on the bodywork will clearly identify them as being hybrid electric vehicles.

The hybrid system comes from Eaton, and it combines a downsized clean diesel engine, a Lithium Ion battery pack and an electric motor/generator to increase the new trucks fuel economy by a whopping 44 percent over a traditional diesel-powered van. UPS also states that the 50 new trucks could help eliminate 457 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the course of the year. If you’re in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston or Phoenix, you have a shot at seeing one of the vans, as that’s where they’ve been put into service. UPS is not shy about testing alternative-fuel vehicles in its fleet. Last year the company made headlines when it put a hydraulic hybrid delivery truck into service.

[Source: UPS]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

We sure do love you guys around here, our readership I mean. Without you, there wouldn’t be much point to writing all of this stuff, now would there? But, let’s be honest… we don’t quite have the number of viewers that ABC news has with their show “Nightline“. Yet. But, we’re willing to put our reporting up against anybody’s! But, back to the story at hand.

Being that so many people are tuned in at night for the national news, running a seven-minute-long segment on Tesla Motors must really do a great job of introducing the marque to people who may not have been aware of them. So, in that regard, this video might be worth watching, just so you know what John Q. Public knows about Tesla Motors. But, let me warn you, there probably isn’t much in this video that you, as an AutoblogGreen reader don’t already know. Hope you enjoy it anyway, even if it is just to catch some more footage of the car in motion and the bits underneath.

[Source: YouTube via Hugg]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Image credit: San Francisco ChronicleAn opinion article by Jane Powell in the San Francisco Chronicle titled 'Green Envy' begins by saying, "'Green building' is the feel-good trend of the moment. Cities stipulate it, builders market it and home buyers supposedly demand it. Who could be against it? It's the panacea that will combat global warming, prevent sprawl, revitalize our downtowns, contribute to the region's economic growth and keep California on the leading edge," and goes on to declare, "'Green building' is an oxymoron."

I have a different opinion about green building. I spent all day yesterday attending a USGBC Technical Training Seminar, in order to become a LEED-accredited professional. To dismiss all green building as an oxymoron overlooks much of the good that is involved. Green building is not an oxymoron. Green building is taking steps for real change, improving the performance of buildings, and establishing methods for construction of buildings that will improve the spaces where we spend as much as 90% of our lives.

Powell goes on to write, "Building or remodeling uses up resources, even if those resources are recycled or salvaged." This seems to suggest that all building is equally bad, and that a complete moratorium on all construction activity is the only acceptable solution.

Some use of resources is a part of life. We consume. We eat, we drink, we breathe. Even the greenest living among us (and I make no claim whatsoever to that title, myself) do these things. We have basic needs for food and clothing and shelter, and to condemn any use of resources is painting with an overly broad brush. Furthermore, a growing population expands the demand of those needs. Even if our population was at a point of zero growth, some buildings would need to be replaced because of age or due to damage from accident or catastrophe. Building is a necessary activity. Green building seeks intelligent, sustainable methods for building that recognize the limitations and constraints we must work with. We cannot stop using resources. But we can use those resources that we do use carefully.

Picking a few stray examples, and then throwing up your hands as though nothing can be done seems counterproductive, as well. "Vinyl is also ubiquitous, therefore difficult to avoid — your shower curtain, your electrical wiring, the dashboard of your hybrid car — all vinyl." Vinyl is certainly ubiquitous, but we can educate ourselves and make better choices. Green building is about building smarter. Alternatives to the vinyl shower curtain can be easily found. Dashboards can be made with wood or other products, though consumer demand needs to increase in order to see this implemented. Vinyl has properties that make it the most suitable product for many applications, and in those cases, it may be reasonable to use it. But that doesn't mean that we should use it for everything, particularly once we are aware of the consequences of its production.

I don't care for the ubiquitousness of vinyl, and I try to minimize using it as much as I can. But I'm willing to use it in some limited cases. I wouldn't choose to use vinyl siding on a building, because that is not a sustainable use. However, when I worked on a project with a green roof a few years ago, we used vinyl membranes as the layer between the structure of the library building and the vegetated roof on top of it because that is the product that has the necessary strength to prevent leaks and keep roots from burrowing through, and it has a lifespan to last for 50 years or longer. A little bit of a non-green product is sometimes necessary to make a green building.

Most Green Options readers already recognize that green building means more than just picking a few green products. Screwing in a couple of compact fluorescents does not make your building green all by itself. But to dismiss all green building because of some bad examples is an overreaction. We should certainly criticize the tear-down, where a 1500 square-foot house is demolished and replaced with a 3500 square-foot house for the same number of occupants; and a couple CFLs and a coat of low VOC paint do not make the replacement suddenly green. But green building recognizes that new building and renovation can be done in a way that works to reduce the impacts of that building. There is much more to it than just a few materials choices.

via: Archinect