Source: Vancouver Sun

SHENZHEN, China — In a bid to get a fully electric car on the road with appeal beyond the “green market,” China’s BYD, Build Your Dreams, has taken one big step ahead of most of its competitors.

In May, the small automotive company, which U.S. financial wizard Warren Buffett put on the map when he bought a 10 per cent stake, watched the first 30 of its e6 purely electric models roll onto the streets of Shenzhen and begin cruising the city as taxis. By the end of June, BYD expects to have 100 e6 taxis on the road and, although the company won’t confirm it yet, some sources say 560 by the end of the year. The ultimate goal is 1,500, about 10 per cent of all Shenzhen cabs.

The red and white taxis have “zero emission” printed on them and emblazoned across the back in Chinese characters is the boast: “This is not a conventional car, this is a declaration of environmental protection.”

It’s interesting to note the reactions because the taxi driver appears totally indifferent to the experiment he’s involved in.

“A car is a car,” he said. “For a taxi driver it’s to make money. If passengers like it better, then we do, too.”

Paul Lin, spokesman for BYD bridles slightly when asked about the e6 experiment.

“It’s not a test program, frankly speaking. It’s a real business. It’s a beginning,” he said.

Lin explains that in China, where there are more than a million taxis on the streets and they are all owned or controlled by some level of government, it makes a lot of sense to begin e-car sales by penetrating the taxis market. So, BYD invested in Pengcheng

Electric Taxi Company with Shenzhen Bus Group, a company that is ultimately controlled by the city government.

“It should give confidence and guide the public,” Lin said. “If the government uses purely electric vehicles, it will be a very big sign for the public. ‘Oh, the electric vehicle, it works!’ It spells it out for the public.”

What Lin doesn’t say, but clearly implies, is that it is also a way to get governments to begin investing in e-car charging stations before, likely well before, they wholeheartedly commit to policies promoting purely electric cars.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: VANCOUVER SUN

Electric Taxi Fleet 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

5-27-10 EPBF Future of the Electric Car (Business and Community)

The forum is a presentation of Net Impact, the Environmental Policy and Business Forum, and IR/PS.

Future of the Electric Car in Southern California – UCSD Event for San Diego Community – May 27 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

County of San Diego:

Cut down on pollution while cutting your grass.  It’s possible by switching to the right mower, and this Saturday is a great chance to make the move.

The 11th Annual Lawn Mower Trade- in Event is scheduled for May 1, 2010 in the north parking lot of the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway.  County residents who drop off their gas-powered mower will be able to purchase a Black & Decker cordless, battery-rechargeable mower, at a discounted price.

Watch Public Service Announcement

“Save May 1st and join us in reducing air pollution by switching to an electric mower,” said County Supervisor Ron Roberts.  “You’ll get a great deal on the purchase of a new zero-emission, cordless electric lawnmower and you will be doing your part to ensure we have clean air to breathe and are reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

By participating in this event, you can eliminate the air pollution from your gas-powered lawn mower, which emits as much air pollution in one hour as driving a car 200 miles.

“In the last decade we have provided 4,395 mowers and eliminated more than 150 tons of air pollution – equivalent to taking 175,800 automobiles off the road,” Supervisor Roberts said.

Requirements

• Photo I.D. and proof of San Diego County residency (includes cities and unincorporated area).
  (Any of the following: California Driver License, state-issued Identification Card, passport, utility bill, or your personal check that shows your local address.)
• One (1) lawn mower per household, oil and gas emptied from tank prior to arrival.
  (To recycle your oil, call Waste Management at 619-596-5100 or 760-439-2824 or City of San Diego Environmental Services 858-492-5060.)
• Lawn mower must be in proper working condition and have all appropriate parts attached.
  (Lawn mower will be inspected, and fuel will be available in the event it is necessary to verify that your mower is in working condition.)
• $99.99
  (Cash or credit card with proper I.D.)

Parking

The North parking lot will be made available to participants, using the driveway on Pacific Highway to enter. Participants may also park in the South parking lot. Parking in the North lot and half of the South lot will be free; however, the other half of the South lot is paid parking run by Ace Parking. Metered parking is also available in the surrounding area. (Meter requirements on Saturdays begin at 8 a.m.)

Note to Participants

• There is a limited number of lawn mowers that will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.  (We suggest participants arrive earlier than the 8 a.m. start time. Feel free to bring a lawn chair for your comfort while in line.)
• One lawnmower per person.
• The “Start Line” will begin at the East driveway of the North parking lot on Pacific Highway.
• Important: Please do not leave your mower unattended until you have received your Participant Number. You must be in line with your old mower before a number can be given. A number cannot be given to a fellow participant holding your place in line or keeping an eye on your mower for you.

Lawn Mower Information

We will be distributing a Black & Decker 24 volt cordless mulching lawn mower (Model CMM1200).  The rechargeable battery operates the mower for about 1-hour. The unit comes with a 2-year factory warranty. For more specifications, visit the Black and Decker website.

For more information, call (858) 586-2707

Lawn Mower Trade-in: May 1st 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

Air Resources Board unveils $3.7 million in rebates for clean vehicles

SACRAMENTO – On March 17th the California Air Resources Board announced $3.7 in rebates for zero-emission and plug-in hybrid vehicle rebates for
California drivers as part of an overall $42.3 million program that Governor
Schwarzenegger approved in 2007 to spur technological innovation in the
transportation sector.

The rebates offer up to $5,000 for the purchase of zero-emission and plug-in
hybrid light-duty vehicles and up to $20,000 for the purchase of
ARB-certified or approved zero-emission commercial vehicles on a first-come,
first-served basis.  Funding for the program comes from a dedicated revenue
stream that draws from smog abatement, vehicle registration, and vessel
registration fees.

“These rebates will make cleaner cars more affordable for California
consumers and give businesses and local governments an incentive to add
advanced vehicles to their fleets,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “The
monies get innovative vehicle technologies on the road more quickly so
California can meet its clean air and climate change goals.”

Rebates are available to individuals, business owners and government
entities in California that purchase or lease new eligible zero-emission or
plug-in hybrid electric light-duty vehicles now. Eligible vehicles are cars,
trucks, commercial
medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, motorcycles or neighborhood electric
vehicles.

In October 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 118 which provides
approximately $200 million annually through 2015 to the California Energy
Commission, the Bureau of Automotive Repair and the ARB to fund air quality
improvement projects that will accelerate clean engine technologies.  ARB
was appropriated approximately $42.3 million to fund air quality improvement
programs that will pay for cleaner equipment such as hybrid truck and buses,
zero-emission and plug-in hybrid cars, and motorcycles. The amount of
funding available to pay for these technologies is dependent on the amount
of revenues generated from vehicle and smog abatement fees.

Cars and trucks account for over half of the emissions that contribute to
ozone and particulate matter as well as about 30 percent of the total
greenhouse gas emissions in California.
Zero-emission vehicles and near-zero emission vehicles are a key element of
California’s plan for attaining health-based air quality as required in the
federal Clean Air Act.

Exhaust from cars and trucks have been known to exacerbate a variety of
conditions such as lung and heart disease, and asthma, and even contribute
to premature death.  Cleaner vehicles reduce California smog and climate
change emissions, and save consumers money.

A complete list of eligible vehicles, application and rebate instructions
can be found at: http://cvrp.energycenter.org

To learn more about what you can do to reduce your individual greenhouse gas
emissions, visit ARB’s carbon calculator at http://www.coolcalifornia.org

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental
Protection Agency.  ARB’s mission is to promote and protect public health,
welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air
pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy.  The
ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and
maintain health based air quality standards.

Incentives speed the introduction of advanced technology is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

At the beginning of February, Linda Bluestein at DOE sent out a note inviting Clean Cities Coordinators to participate in a new quarterly webinar/discussion group on electric vehicle  and infrastructure issues.  The purpose of these webinar/discussion groups are to keep Clean Cities coordinators abreast of the evolving developments that affect deployment of these technologies in their communities.

The first webinar/discussion will be held on March 24, 2010 from 1:00-2:30 Eastern Time and will feature a vehicle and infrastructure discussion by Jim Francfort, INL and Don Karner, eTEC.  Jim works on DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA) conducted jointly by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The AVTA is part of the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program. The primary goal of AVTA is to provide benchmark data for technology modeling, and research and development programs, by benchmarking and validating the performance of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles that feature one or more advanced technologies, including:

• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technologies
• Hybrid electric, pure electric, and hydraulic technologies
• Advanced electric drive technologies and engine technologies
• Advanced energy storage (i.e., batteries) technologies and chemistries
• Advanced climate control, power electronic, and other ancillary systems technologies
• Internal combustion engines burning advanced fuels (i.e., 100% hydrogen and hydrogen/CNG-blended fuels)

Also contributing to this effort is Don Karner, President/CEO of eTEC, of Phoenix, AZ.  eTEC was mentioned by President Obama in his latest State of the Union Address and is the project manager for a DOE ARRA grant that includes 40+ project partners that will conduct the largest-ever rollout of electric vehicle infrastructure in the United States.

Jim and Don will give an overview of issues that will be of interest to many coordinators with respect to establishing electric recharging strategies in their communities. Particular areas of interest covered include types of recharging systems available, battery electric and plug-in electric vehicles and their timing for market introduction, the current state of deployment issues such as codes and standards, permitting, standardized training and more.

Future quarterly calls will include a national overview of utility developments including grid developments and other programs, regulatory overviews and industry status reports/updates.

Webinar: Electric Recharging Strategies is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

KPBS reporter Sharon Heilbrunn asks San Diegans if they would be willing to switch to electrical cars.

San Diego Speaks: Electric Cars

Courtesy KPBS, San Diego

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K_DxbK50yg

San Diego Speaks: Electric Cars is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition