San Diego Gas & Electric is offering two on seminars on electric vehicle charging in October! A a seminar on workplace vehicle charging will be held on October 18th and seminars on charging in multi-unit dwellings will be held on October 25th. Details below

Seminar 1 | Tuesday, October 18
Plug-in Vehicles & Workplace
Charging Seminar
This seminar focuses on:

• Charging equipment options, from
  standard outlets to DC Fast Charging
• Important considerations for your
  workplace charging policy
• Factors affecting utility billing costs
  for charging
• Parking management, usage monitoring
  and pay-for-use options
• Available incentives
• Factors affecting installation costs

Read More…

Seminar 2 | Tuesday, October 25
What’s Involved When Residents Want to Charge a Plug-In Vehicle Within a Multi-Unit Dwelling Community?

Learn about the stakeholders involved, the
decision process flow and possible issues for multi-unit dwelling communities interested in the install- ation of vehicle charging units for electric cars.

Read More…

Speakers

Matt Zerega is a Product Innovations Project Manager for SDG&E’s Clean Transportation group. He has a 4+ year academic background in automotive technology and over 15 years’ experience in global consulting, merchant power and utilities focusing on energy economics, financial analysis and information technology.

Joel Pointon is the Manager of Electric Transportation for SDG&E® and has initiated a national emphasis program on plug-in electric vehicle charging for multi-unit dwellings. He serves on a number national advisory panels for electric transportation and has presented on this topic extensively in California and the U.S.

Additional seminars will take place on November 30 and December 20.

For more information and to register please visit seminars.sdge.com

You can view a flyer for the workshops here.

SDG&E offers vehicle charging workshops is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

More than 100 people turned out at Pearson Fuels in City Heights to hear award winning author and filmmaker Josh Tickell make the case for biofuels. The August 11st event at one of the California’s premier alternative fuel stations brought together fuel providers, fleet managers, and drivers together to learn about the performance benefits, cost advantages, incentives, and availability of renewable fuels in Southern California.

Attendees enjoyed an inspiring and engaging talk from Tickell as well as presentations from Brendan Reed of the City of Chula Vista and Lisa McGhee of San Diego Airport Parking Shuttles both of whom are using biofuels. Jake Millan of Propel Fuels also spoke about expanding infrastructure for biodiesel and E85. Participants then had the chance to network with a happy hour sponsored by Stone Brewing Company who fuels their delivery trucks with Biodiesel.

More pictures are available here.

The event was sponsored by:

Event Review: Biodiesel and Flex Fuel for Fleets – Just the Facts is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) has partnered with ROUSH CleanTech, an industry leader in propane autogas technology, and Ferrellgas, a nationwide propane supplier, as a part of an 18-month mobile exhibit program highlighting residential energy efficiency and home improvements. The CCSE Residential Energy Roadshow, which kicked off August 26-28 at the San Diego Home, Hot Tub & Landscape Show, is designed to educate and inspire Southern Californians to learn about and implement energy-saving practices in home efficiency, solar technologies and alternative-fuel transportation.

“Thanks to generous donations from ROUSH CleanTech and Ferrellgas, hundreds of thousands of Californians will be able to learn about home energy efficiency, solar energy and the products and incentives available to them when visiting the mobile exhibit,” said Irene Stillings, CCSE executive director. “This is a perfect example of how multiple clean technologies can work together to demonstrate energy savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable practices.”

Using a Ford F-250 pickup truck with the ROUSH CleanTech liquid propane autogas fuel system, CCSE will transport the exhibit to community events throughout San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The truck will have access to Ferrellgas propane autogas stations for refueling at more than 200 locations in California alone.

The CCSE Residential Energy Roadshow is funded in part by the Department of Energy in support of the goals of its BetterBuildings Neighborhood Program and two California programs, Energy Upgrade California™ and Go Solar California! Various manufacturers and service providers have donated generously to the exhibit as well.

“Ferrellgas is proud to partner with the California Center for Sustainable Energy and ROUSH CleanTech to educate Californians about ways to save money and the environment by implementing energy efficiency solutions in their homes and at their businesses,” said George Koloroutis, president of Ferrell North America and senior vice president of Ferrellgas. “As the nation’s leading propane retailer, we’ve been doing just that for more than 70 years.”

Vehicles powered by propane autogas emit up to 24 percent fewer greenhouse gasses and 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, with significantly fewer particulates. All of this can help improve the air Californians breath and lower the emissions footprint of commercial fleets across the state. Historically, propane autogas costs 30 to 40 percent less than gasoline and requires less vehicle maintenance due to its clean-burning properties, making it an economical alternative as well.

“This is a great partnership that will showcase to Californians that propane autogas is the most readily deployable and flexible alternative fuel,” said Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for ROUSH CleanTech. “Propane autogas can immediately address air quality concerns for residents.”

The BetterBuildings Neighborhood Program supports forty competitively selected communities nationwide that are using innovation and investment in energy efficiency to expand the building improvement industry, test program delivery business models and create jobs with an emphasis on home energy improvement.

Energy Upgrade California is a California program designed to guide homeowners in making energy-efficient upgrades to reduce energy use, conserve natural resources and create more comfortable and efficient homes. Go Solar California! is the marketing campaign for the California Solar Initiative, an incentive program designed to encourage Californians to install 3,000 megawatts of solar energy systems on homes and businesses by the end of 2016 and 585 million therms of gas-displacing solar hot water systems by the end of 2017.  Energy Upgrade California and Go Solar California! are joint efforts of the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission.

As the only organization in California concurrently administering aspects of all three energy programs and a variety of clean transportation initiatives, CCSE developed this mobile showcase to provide a one-stop information resource for homeowners to help them understand their options and make their energy decisions easier. The exhibit addresses a wide range of sustainability practices to save energy and money, such as capturing rainwater, insulating homes and using new lighting technologies.

More information, including a schedule of events, is available at http://www.energycenter.org/roadshow.

On the Road for a Clean Energy Future is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Thanks to Jim Ruby for these photos. Jim is UCSD Fleet Manager and San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition board member.

Photos From Clean Car Show at UCSD 50th Anniversary Celebration is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Jim Ruby and his staff at UCSD did an outstanding job at this event, which was held on Saturday April 16th.  The array of vehicles was tremendous and a number of our organization members were present as well. Here are a couple of pictures of the event. In the “booth in view” picture – that is our booth next to the IMPCO truck and right next to us is CCSE. We’ll try to get more info and photos up soon.

UCSD Held Clean Car Show as Part of Its 50th Anniversary Celebration is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Here are a few resources on charging stations across the country.

Electric Drive Transportation Association: http://www.goelectricdrive.com website under the National Plug-in Vehicle Initiative. SDG&E has participated in founding the concept, participated in the development of this website through the Steering Committee, Outreach Committee, Technical and Policy Committees that developed this site.

Rocky Mountain Institute’s Project Get Ready: http://www.projectgetready.org. SDG&E serves on the Technical Advisory Committee for this resource which provides resources to cities relative to charging initiatives.

Coulomb Technologies has created an online map www.mychargepoint.net/find-stations.php showing units across the country.

ECOtality also has an interactive map at www.theevproject.com/charging-maps.php, though the company won’t start building its stations until next month.

The Department of Energy runs the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center, which features a map of stations for alternative vehicles. www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/stations.

EV Charger News ( www.evchargernews.com ) lists locations as well as driver comments on the units.

Charging Station Resources is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

(Source: Environmental News Service)

SAN DIEGO, California, January 31, 2011 (ENS) – San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders Monday rolled out Smart City San Diego, a broad public-private collaboration that aims to improve the region’s energy independence, empower consumers to adopt electric vehicles, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and drive economic growth.

Smart City San Diego partners are the City of San Diego, San Diego Gas & Electric, GE, the University of California San Diego and CleanTECH San Diego, a nonprofit organization that includes business and financial leaders, academic and research institutes, government agencies and other nonprofits.

“With the San Diego region currently preparing for one of the largest initial deployments of electric vehicles in the country, the first priority for Smart City San Diego is to expand current projects to implement a comprehensive electric vehicle infrastructure,” said Mayor Sanders.

Electric car draws power from a GE WattStation in San Diego. (Photo courtesy GE)

“This is the first of many initiatives that our partners throughout the region will undertake to make San Diego the foremost resource-conscious community in the United States,” the mayor said.

Electric vehicles offer tremendous benefits to consumers and the city while posing significant challenges, the mayor said.

While electric vehicles could reduce U.S. oil importation by 52 percent, and electricity costs per mile are calculated at one-quarter to one-third the cost of gasoline, there are obstacles to overcome.

Grid reliability, consumer impact, public charging and alternative fuel options are some of the issues Smart City San Diego intends to address as part of a comprehensive plan to bring more efficient, reliable and sustainable energy to everyday living.

GE is involved through its charging station, the GE WattStation, which charges vehicles quickly and uses smart grid technology that allows utility companies to manage the impact EVs have on the local and regional electric grids.

“Increasingly, competitiveness will be determined by our ability to grow in a prosperous yet sustainable manner,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president, Digital Energy, GE Energy Services at Monday’s event. “GE is helping San Diego and cities around the world strike a balance between these seemingly contradictory goals.”

The Smart City San Diego plan includes five electric vehicle initiatives:

• To streamline EV charging, UC San Diego, San Diego Gas & Electric and GE will demonstrate smart technologies to identify when and where charging will occur, and work with electric vehicle owners to better manage charging loads.
• To ensure easy and rapid deployment of electric vehicle chargers for both home and public-access locations, San Diego Gas & Electric and the City of San Diego will develop an efficient electric vehicle permitting process.
• To test the technical and economic feasibility of achieving zero tailpipe emissions, UC San Diego, GE and San Diego Gas & Electric will use UC San Diego’s solar and fuel cell renewable energy generation infrastructure. CleanTECH San Diego will link anticipated technology needs in the electric vehicle sector and innovators in the region.
• To quantify the economic impacts of the electric vehicle initiatives, such as cluster growth, incremental job growth and training needs, CleanTECH San Diego and the City of San Diego will collaborate.
• The collaborators plan to enlist a consumer focus group of 50 UC San Diego students, faculty, and staff who will be offered commercial leases on electric vehicles, charging their vehicles through UC San Diego’s planned electric vehicle infrastructure.

“UC San Diego is committed to working with our partners to develop and demonstrate innovations that will enable carbon-free transportation,” said Marye Anne Fox, the university’s chancellor.

“Through our collaboration, and the university’s significant investment in renewable energy generation and storage, smart grid communication infrastructure and the expertise of our faculty and staff,” said Fox, “we are poised to help with the successful adoption of electric vehicles in San Diego and eventually mainstream America.”

San Diego Gets EV-Ready With New ‘Smart City’ Collaboration is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Below are some alternative fuel related articles found this week.

Tax Credit, Court Ruling Put Biodiesel Industry on Solid Ground for 2011

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court unanimously rejected an attempt by the oil refining industry to block the EPA’s renewable fuel standard (RFS2), which mandates blending of biodiesel into US diesel supplies. On Friday, the compromise tax and unemployment benefit bill, which included a renewal of the biodiesel producer tax credit, was signed into law by president Obama. After months of hardship brought on by policy uncertainties, the biodiesel industry can adopt on optimistic outlook on 2011. Read more about this article by Josh Garrett on HeatingOil.com.

Powering truck fleets with fried chicken

New Leaf Biofuel, based in Barrio Logan, collects used cooking oil from nearly 1,000 local restaurants and converts it to biodiesel. It sells that to distributors who market the fuel to customers running fleets of diesel trucks, including the Allied Waste fleet of trash and recycling trucks in Chula Vista and C&D Towing in Barrio Logan. Allied Waste has been using biodiesel since 1993. This article features comments and discussions by New Leaf Biofuel CEO Jennifer Case, who recently joined the Board of Directors of the San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition. Read more about this article by Peggy Peattie on signonsandiego.com.

Gasoline Demand Defies “Experts” and Drops

Defying all the “experts,” gasoline demand in the U.S. has dropped 8% since 2006 when demand peaked. Prevailing wisdom has held since the OPEC oil shocks of the mid-1970s that that supplies would not keep pace with demand, eventually leading to the end of the oil supply. Quoted by Independent presidential candidate Rep. John B. Anderson (I-Ill.) Sept. 23, 1980, while debating former President Ronald Reagan, the American Petroleum Institute predicted that world oil demand would exceed available supply by 1990. Today’s U.S. Energy Dept. report indicates that, with the new breed of fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles, gasoline demand should drop by another 20% by 2030, leaving the world awash in gasoline. Despite increased consumption by the rest of the industrialized and developing worlds, gasoline demand should continue to drop in those countries too. Read more about this article by John M. Curtis on examiner.com.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Biodiesel Blend in US Diesel Supplies, Gasoline Demand Drop, and Powering Truck Fleets with Fried Chicken is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

On November 30, 2010, the San Diego Regional Clean Fuels Coalition hosted a Clean Start event at the CCSE. Over 35 fleet managers and alternative fuel enthusiasts attended the workshop to learn about propane fueling options, fleet conversions and the fueling infrastructure currently being developed in the region.

Here are some highlights from the speaker, Jon Van Bogart, from CleanFuelUSA:

• Propane is an national focus for alternative fuels because its carbon footprint is smaller than petroleum and diesel, it exists everywhere, is easily transportable, and large propane storage facilities already exist around the U.S.

• Propane received a lot of Federal Stimulus money.

• There are ~200 propane fueling stations nationwide. Thirteen are currently in CA. Ten million vehicles run on propane in the U.S.

• Ten new stations will be coming to San Diego (the majority will be public access although some school districts may be eligible for a private site.) Expo Propane will be installing the stations locally.

• There will be free training for CNG and Propane at service centers (to be determined) for one year. These service centers will include free classes to educate and certify technicians.

• Nationwide station locator http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/propane_locations.html

• Propane qualifies for all federal and state rebates that are based on weight/class.

• Federal funding through the IRS AFV tax credit can be found on the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/article/0,,id=202341,00.html.

• CA State incentives are available through CARB and CEC.  The CEC AB-118 Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program has vehicle buydown incentives for all the fuels and technologies including propane.  Propane has $2M in the 2009-2010 FY, and $3M in the 2010-2011 FY investment plans. The Executive Summary for the 2010-2011 Investment plan showing funding allocations:  http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009-ALT-1/documents/2010-09-13_Executive_Summary_CMF.pdf.

• Propane is now less expensive than diesel on a cost per mile basis ($.16 for propane vs. $.22 for diesel fuel)

• Propane is projected to grow from 8% of all U.S. motor fuel consumption to 20% in the next 10-15 years.

Propane Fueling Infrastructure Underway in San Diego is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

All-new Ford Focus testing, courtesy newfordfocusmedia.com

San Diego is one of 20 urban markets selected by Ford to sell Focus Electric, the Company’s First All-Electric Passenger Car.

From Ford’s media site:

• Ford has announced the first U.S. markets slated to receive the all-new Focus Electric, which debuts in late 2011
• Markets were chosen based on several criteria, including commuting patterns, existing hybrid purchase trends, utility company collaboration and local government commitment to electrification
• Focus Electric is Ford’s first all electric passenger car, and is targeting up to 100 miles of zero CO2-emissions, gas-free driving on a full charge
• Ford has an aggressive strategy that will deliver a range of electrified vehicles in both Europe and North America, including the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van, two next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrids and a plug-in hybrid

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 15 – Ford Motor Company has announced first markets that will sell the Focus Electric, Ford’s first all-electric, zero CO2-emissions passenger car.

The first markets selected for Ford Focus Electric: Atlanta, Austin and Houston, Texas; Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orlando, Fla., Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Portland, Ore.; Raleigh Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va., Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Read more on Ford Names First Markets To Sell Focus Electric, The Company’s First All-Electric Passenger Car. Also from MarketWatch.com, “Ford Names First Markets to Sell Focus Electric…”

San Diego Included in Ford Focus Electric First Sales Market is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition