National AFV Day Odyssey

The Journey Continues

National AFV Day Odyssey

• A biennial event dedicated to promoting cleaner choices in transportation!

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) undertook this project because of the critical need to support the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry. More public awareness is necessary to help ease our dependence on foreign oil, and we must support those manufacturers that are making AFVs a viable option for individuals everywhere. With everyone joining together on one day, working toward the same goals, we cannot help but compound the effect of our individual efforts. Such unity will further increase the impact of each individual site’s program and will catalyze the momentum for the advanced transportation movement nationwide. Together, we will bring national attention to AFVs and advanced technology vehicles and promote them as a cleaner and more efficient choice for transportation.

• Has something for everyone!

Odyssey events are held in numerous locations nationwide and are tailored to the specific needs of the audience. Site coordinators are encouraged to be creative and host events that are fun, interactive, and educational. Past event formats have included ride-and-drives, vehicle displays, and workshops. Additionally, industry experts are often on hand to answer questions that attendees may have while educational seminars provide detailed information about viable alternative fuel options. In 2008, a rock concert, custom paint demonstrations, stock car racing, and an E-85 station fueling event were some of the unique Odyssey events hosted by local site coordinators.

• Guarantees Results!

Odyssey feedback proved that the 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 events were tremendous successes. Sponsors, partners, National Training Centers (NTCs), Clean Cities Coordinators, and attendees alike have seen how valuable the program can be for promoting energy independence and supporting the environment. They have also seen the proven results of Odyssey and the millions of individuals reached by its message. We hope that you will become part of the solution and join us on Friday, October 15, 2010. Together, we can make a difference!

Odyssey; October 15th 2010 is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The 2010 San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition Survey is currently underway, we are gathering data regarding many organization’s alternative fuel/advanced technology fleets in order to complete our 2010 annual report for the Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities Program. The DOE uses this data to report to Congress, as required by the Energy Policy Act, on the success and benefits of the program and to calculate the millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel displaced in the nation due to the conversion of fleets from gasoline and diesel fuels to alternative fuel/advanced technologies.  The survey will ascertain the number and types of alternative vehicles currently in use, their various fuels and the frequency of use, the fueling station availability for both public and private entities, the idle-reduction and fuel economy improvements for fleets, vehicle miles traveled reduction and incentive programs, and other general information such as operational, stakeholder, and outreach activities of the Clean Fuel Coalition.

The survey will span various city governments of San Diego County, School Districts, Transit Systems, Private Enterprises, and many other fleet types. If you are a fleet manager in San Diego County please take some time to complete the linked survey; your most accurate information is truly appreciated.

Click here to take survey

As part of this years San Diego Clean Cities Survey there will be an updated list of the contributors, collaborators, and companies that have completed the survey and would like to be noted for their efforts in reducing petroleum fuel use. Thank you to all whom have put forward your efforts in transportation sustainability:

Private:

Allied Waste Services, Cloud Nine, EDCO, Kick Gas Co-op , TerraMoto Transportation , Port of San Diego, San Diego Zoo,

Public:

City & County:

Carlsbad , Chula vista , Coronado , Del Mar ,  El Cajon , Encinitas , Escondido , Imperial Beach , La Mesa , Lemon Grove , National City , Oceanside , Poway , San Diego , San Marcos , Santee , Solana Beach , Vista

State & Federal:

Airport Authority, Air Pollution Control District, Camp Pendleton,  California Highway Patrol, CalTrans, Olivehein Water District, Valley Center Water District, US Navy, US Postal Service,

Educational:

Transit Systems:

Chula Vista Transit, MTS, North County Lifeline Transit, North County Transit, SD Transit Authority

Non-Fleet Contributors:

NewLeaf BioFuels

2010 San Diego Clean Cities Progress Report is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

STORAGE WEEK 2010:

The Premier International Networking Hub for Grid-Scale Energy Storage and Renewables Integration

July 12-15, 2010 | Rancho Bernardo Inn | San Diego, CA

Four Integrated Events  Exploring  the  Accelerating Opportunities in Energy  Storage! Four Meetings in One Week  Covering  All Aspects  of a Game-Changing Set of Technologies & Applications Worth  Billions  in Future Market Share

#1. Community Energy  Storage

#2. Making  the  Business  Case  For Grid-Scale Storage  Projects

#3. The Energy  Storage  Summit  - Policy,  Opportunities & Economics

#4. The Technology & Investment Showcase

www.infocastinc.com/storage10

About the Summit In the tradition  of the previous two sold-out editions  of this flagship event, the expanded programming  of Storage Week promises  to be the ultimate  networking event of the year for anyone with a stake in the integration  of storage into the grid. The conference’s four separate  but complimentary events will cover the complete range of storage policies,  markets, project  applications and technologies. Storage Week will kick off with a pair of Workshops on July 12 – Community energy Storage and Making the Business Case For grid-Scale Storage Projects. The two-day energy Storage Summit – Policy, opportunities & economics (July 13 & 14) will examine  the market design, policy incentives  and barriers that apply to all storage systems. The Summit will be highlighted  by two separate  tracks: Bulk Storage and Grid Services.

Storage Week will conclude on July 15 with the Technology & Investment Showcase; a future-oriented day dedicated to investment  potential,  market trends and astonishing  new technology. All four days of the meeting  will not only tackle current  policy and market barriers but will provide a robust environment  for networking and deal-making  between storage vendors and users as well as investors and storage companies seeking venture  or growth capital.

Infocast would like to offer you a special discount valid for 10% off any
new registration for Storage Week 2010. This discount code is valid on any
new registration through June 12th. Please use code ACAA. Please feel free
to share this discount. Discount codes cannot be combined with any other
offer and are valid on new registrations only (valid with early-bird rate
through 6/12/10). If you have any questions about the event or would like to
register by phone please feel free to call me at (818) 888-4444.

Once  again, Storage Week is the place to be this July for anyone with a stake in the integration  of storage into the grid. Storage Week Event Structure  At A Glance: MONDAY July 12 #1 Community Energy Storage 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. #2 Making the Business Case for Grid-Scale Storage Projects 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. TUESDAY July 13 The Energy Storage Summit DAY ONE Policy, Opportunities & Economics 8 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. WEDNESDAY July 14 The Energy Storage Summit DAY TWO Morning Session 8 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Storage: Making It Real Afternoon Session 1:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Track One Bulk Storage Track Two Grid Services THURSDAY July 15 The Technology & Investment Showcase 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Grid-Scale Energy Storage and Renewables Integration is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

San Diego EarthWorks will be presenting their annual Earth Fair on Sunday April 18th at Balboa Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Clean Fuel Coalition and San Diego Regional Sustainability Partnership will be in attendance on the west side of the Cleaner Car Concourse. There will be information on various clean fuel organizations and the Clean Car Concourse will feature vehicles of all descriptions that run on alternative fuels (hybrids included). This isn’t just “the future”: these are vehicles being used on the road today. The vehicles will be on display in the Pan American Plaza next to the San Diego Automobile Museum.

As part of San Diego State University’s Annual GreenFest / EarthDay event there will be a “Clean Fuel Car Zone” on Wednesday April 21st from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Campanile walkway in front of Hepner Hall.  The showcasing of alternative energy vehicles will include various types of vehicles in categories ranging from full electric, PHEV, CNG, Biodiesel, to Ethanol, with more to be announced.

The University of California San Diego will also be making Thursday April 22nd an “Alternative Transportation Day” starting with a Bicycle Breakfast from 7–10 a.m. at the Gilman Information Booth (Free breakfast snacks and safety information). Then the “Green Machines” will be displayed from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Warren Mall. The green vehicle exhibit will be featuring Gidget the Smart Car, UCSD green fleet vehicles, Tesla Roadster, biodiesel Mercdes, MTS natural gas-electric hybrid bus, UCSD’s Greenline biodiesel bus, hydrogen converted car, diesel hydrogen hybrid pickup truck and more. Learn how to compute your carbon footprint and see how you can reduce it by using alternative transportation.

EarthDay Clean Fuel Vehicle Showcases is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The San Diego Clean Fuel Coalition will be assisting Argonne National Labs in the EcoCAR Challenge – the 2010 EcoCAR Challenge Competition is May 17-27, 2010 in Yuma, Arizona and San Diego, CA. The Outreach event will be held May 24-25 in San Diego at the Westin Gaslamp. For more information please visit the EcoCAR Challenge website or GreenGarageBlog website.

ABOUT EcoCAR (From EcoCarChallenge.Org):

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge is a three-year collegiate advanced vehicle technology engineering competition established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM), and is being managed by Argonne National Laboratory.

The competition challenges 16 universities across North America to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles by minimizing the vehicle’s fuel consumption and reducing its emissions while retaining the vehicle’s performance, safety and consumer appeal. Students use a real-world engineering process to design and integrate their advanced technology solutions into a GM-donated vehicle.

Students are designing and building advanced propulsion solutions that are based on vehicle categories from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) regulations. They explore a variety of cutting-edge clean vehicle solutions, including full-function electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell technologies. In addition, students will incorporate lightweight materials into the vehicles, improve aerodynamics and utilize alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen.

Teams are following a real-world approach modeled after GM’s global vehicle development process (GVDP), giving students valuable experience in real-world engineering practices, resource allocation and meeting deliverables. While previous student engineering competitions focused primarily on hardware modifications, EcoCAR includes a unique focus on modeling and simulation, as well as subsystem development and testing.

During the three-year program, General Motors will provide vehicles, vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The U.S. Department of Energy and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, will provide competition management, team evaluation and technical and logistical support. Through sponsoring such advanced vehicle engineering competitions, GM and the U.S. Department of Energy are helping to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Year One

In the first year of EcoCAR, participating teams will use math-based design tools—such as Argonne’s Powertrain Systems Analysis toolkit (PSAT) or similar vehicle models research—to compare and select an advanced vehicle powertrain that meets the goals of the competition. Teams also use software to ensure that their chosen components fit into their vehicle and that the electrical, mechanical and software systems function properly. Teams also use software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) to better develop controls and subsystems.

Years Two and Three

In Years Two and Three, students translate their design into reality and develop a working vehicle that meets the competition’s goals. The teams come together at the end of each academic year to compete against the other university teams in more than a dozen static and dynamic events.

During the weeklong competition, student teams will demonstrate the vehicles so when compared to stock production vehicles they meet or exceed the following goals:

• Incorporate technologies that reduce petroleum energy consumption on the basis of a total fuel cycle
well-to-wheel (WTW) analysis;
• Increase vehicle energy efficiency;
• Reduce criteria and WTW greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria emissions; and
• Maintain consumer acceptability in the areas of performance, utility and safety.

EcoCAR Challenge is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

From Green Right Now Reports

Updated 04-17-10. Enterprise Holdings today announced that it will convert its entire fleet of more than 600 Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental airport shuttle buses  in 50 North American markets to begin using at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5). The company said it will immediately convert buses in nine markets to 20 percent biodiesel (B20) as a first step toward the company’s goal of converting its entire bus fleet to B20 over the next five years.

Enterprise Holdings expects to complete the conversion to all B5 by spring of this year, with at least 50 percent converted to B20 by the end of next year. Buses in nine markets are immediately being converted to run on B20 where the fuel is centrally stored and available: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio and San Diego.

“This investment in biodiesel follows our commitment to our customers and our business to use our fleet to help grow the clean fuel market. By embracing alternative fuels and engine technologies, they have a greater opportunity to become commercially viable,” said Lee Broughton, director of corporate identity and sustainability for Enterprise Holdings. “Biodiesel’s benefits to the environment support our commitment to environmental stewardship, as well as our sustainable approach to managing our business for long-term success.”

In addition to embracing biodiesel and other alternative fuels as they become commercially viable, Enterprise Holdings has spent millions in support of renewable fuels research. In 2007, the company’s owners, the Taylor family, made a $25 million grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis to create the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels. Led by renowned plant researcher Dr. Richard Sayre, top scientists work at the Institute to develop alternatives to finite fossil fuels by finding new ways to create fuel from renewable, reliable plant sources.

Enterprise Holdings will move its fleet of buses to biodiesel is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

AFV2010.com:

In its sixteenth year, AF&V 2010 is the industry event representing all fuels, vehicles and technologies that provide an alternative to petroleum. This fuel and technology neutral Conference brings industry experts, transportation leaders and policy makers together to help fleet managers and other decision makers sort through which fuels and vehicles make the most sense for them.

AF&V 2010 showcases natural gas, ethanol, biodiesel, propane, electricity, and hydrogen, and their companion vehicles. The Conference embraces advanced technologies that result in fuel efficiency, petroleum displacement and emissions improvements. Included are hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid technologies; blends, including hydrogen; fuel cells; and, idle-reduction devices. All of these are featured as part of the diverse program, Expo Hall and Ride-n-Drive.

Alternative Fuels & Vehicles National Conference + Expo 2010
May 9-12, 2010
The Rio All-Suite Hotel; Las Vegas, Nevada

Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Conference is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

SDCleanFuels.org (San Diego Clean Cities), in partnership with The National Renewable Energy Laborator (NREL) and the U.S. Department of Energy brought an Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Workshop (EPAct) to San Diego. The day long event was part of a nationwide series of workshops designed to provide regional stakeholders with technical, regulatory, and networking support. It was most beneficial in assisting EPAct-regulated fleets in overcoming alternative fuels and vehicle deployment barriers.

The workshop was intended to educate stakeholders of their statutory and regulatory alternative fuel and vehicle use obligations, provide an overview of available alternative fuels and vehicles, and provide a hands-on live overview of web-based mapping tools by fuel type. In addition, it provided discussion opportunities designed to solve technical and logistical hurdles that prevent collaboration among stakeholders.

The presentations were well organized and very informative for the diverse group. The EPAct-Mandated fleet compliance requirements were followed by options for consideration in meeting those requirements. Alternative fuels must have infrastructure; merely switching fleet vehicles to one alternative was not the best choice if there were no reasonably located fueling stations for that alternative. The options discussed included Bio-Diesel, CNG, Propane, Ethanol, and Electric. Infrastructure was also discussed, which includes fleet mapping and fueling location. Solutions for alternative fuel locations included: in-house development, software, and online location systems. After the presentations there was a break-out session and lunch, which gave many of the attendees a chance to collaborate and discuss the solutions. This also provided an atmosphere in which everyone could make the personal connections needed to make these solutions a reality. The attendees left the workshop with the information and contacts necessary to enhance opportunities, to achieve compliance, and to expand deployment of alternative fuels and vehicles.

Tools and Resources for Fleets

EPAct Alternative Fuels and Vehicles Workshop is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Since Clean Fuels’ inception more than a decade ago, the use of alternative fuels and vehicles have significantly helped reduce U.S. petroleum consumption. Nationally Clean Fuels stakeholders have added more than 157,000 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) to their fleets, which have displaced approximately 133 million gallons of petroleum. Clean Cities has an impressive track record but strives for continued growth. Program strategies include:

• Building more alternative fueling infrastructure.
• Targeting niche markets that are well suited for alternative fuels.
• Training coalitions on the transition to hydrogen.
• Supporting efforts to enhance the AFV resale market.

For technical information, see Alternative Fuels and Alternative Fuel Vehicles on the Alternative Fuels Data Center site.

Alternative Fuels is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

LOS ALTOS, California – October 7, 2009 – Baytech Corporation has obtained 2010 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) emissions certifications for Baytech’s dedicated compressed natural gas (CNG) fueled 6.0L heavy duty engine that is used in General Motors, Isuzu and Workhorse Custom Chassis heavy duty vehicles. The engine is certified to the 2010 NOx standard of 0.2 g/bhp-hr that now applies to all heavy duty engines, a standard that Baytech’s 6.0L CNG engine has been certified to since 2008.

Vehicle models covered by Baytech’s new 6.0L CNG heavy duty engine certification include: the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana 4500 Cutaway Van commonly used for shuttle buses and box vans; the Isuzu NPR HD and Chevrolet/GMC W4500 Cab Forward chassis used for flatbed, refrigerator/box, service body, small sweeper and utility applications; and Workhorse Custom Chassis heavy duty chassis used for commercial step vans and other applications. These vehicles, upfitted with Baytech’s 6.0L CNG engine, qualify for the maximum federal tax credit of $20,000 toward the incremental cost of the CNG system installation for vehicles in their weight class.

“We are pleased to continue offering our 6.0L heavy duty CNG engine in 2010,” says Richard Turner, Vice President. “It is used in a variety of chassis that serve important segments of the natural gas vehicle market.”

Baytech CNG systems incorporate Baytech’s gaseous fuel sequential Multi-Point Fuel Injection system technology. Baytech’s CNG engine calibration software is fully integrated with the vehicle control system to achieve high performance, low emissions, and compatibility with onboard diagnostics functions.

Visit Baytech Corporation website.

About Baytech

Founded in 1991, Baytech Corporation is the leader in engineering high performance, EPA and CARB certified CNG fuel injection systems for Chevrolet, GMC, Isuzu and Workhorse Custom Chassis vehicles that meet stringent emissions standards. Baytech is a small volume OEM manufacturer offering the largest line-up of CARB and EPA certified CNG vehicles in the industry.

###
Contact:
Richard Turner, Vice President
Baytech Corporation
650 949-1976
sales@baytechcorp.com

Baytech Obtains 2010 Certification of 6.0L Heavy Duty Natural Gas Engines is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition