|
|
| |
 Print Version |
Minnesota Cleans Up Transit Fleet Metro Transit serving the Twin Cities area in Minnesota will add 150 new diesel-electric hybrid buses to its fleet over the next five years. The decision to add the hybrids is part of Metro Transit’s Go Greener Initiative to reduce emissions, operating costs and oil consumption. The agency also will purchase 164 clean diesel buses to facilitate the agency’s plans to replace 314 existing buses. Metro Transit has enjoyed record ridership levels in recent months. In August, the agency reported a ridership of 7 million – its highest monthly total in 23 years. Bus ridership was 6.04 million, up 5 percent from last year. Transit officials attribute the increase in ridership to high gas prices and an employer-sponsored Metropass program which has boosted ridership almost 34 percent. The popular Metropass program, which has 141 participating companies, allows employers to subsidize the cost of public transportation for their workers. To read more about the Metro Transit’s Go Greener Initiative, please see:
|
| Fuel Cell Buses Coming to Hartford The Greater Hartford Transit District in Connecticut will soon be home to the first hybrid electric fuel cell bus in the New England region. A $2.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will pay for the 40-foot bus and supporting infrastructure in Greater Hartford. The zero-emission hybrid electric fuel cell bus will be powered with a PureMotion 120 kW fuel cell system built by Connecticut-based UTC Power. The fuel cell system is twice as efficient as a standard diesel engine. CT Transit, the region’s transit agency, will place the bus into service next spring and pay for the operating costs. Regional partnerships with the Greater Hartford Transit District, CT Transit, Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), UTC Power and FTA were key factors in this fuel cell bus acquisition. For more information on this fuel cell bus project, please see:
|
| Illinois Utility Joins Plug-In Project ComEd, one of the largest utilities in the United States, will partner with the Illinois Institute of Technology to convert a Ford Escape hybrid to a plug-in hybrid. The utility which operates 64 Ford Escape hybrids in its fleet will provide technical expertise and share best practices from its hybrid fleet operations. Additional partners in the Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Project include Chicago-based All Cell Technologies, the City of Chicago and other industrial and government partners. This two-phase project will involve bypassing the original battery pack with the installation of a 10KWh All Cell lithium ion battery pack. The goal is to double the fuel economy of the hybrid. In phase two, engineers will replace the original battery pack and controller to support a larger all-electric range for the vehicle. The City of Chicago will provide the Ford Escape for conversion and will consider more conversions based on the results of this project. Plug-in hybrid vehicles can be plugged into the electric grid – such as a normal 120 volt household outlet – to boost mileage. This allows the vehicles to operate in all-electric mode, reducing the amount of fuel utilized and significantly decreasing the release of harmful pollutants, including greenhouse gases. With the use of biofuels, these vehicles can travel almost 100 miles per gallon of gasoline. According to Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd’s Senior Vice President of Regulatory and External Affairs, “ComEd’s commitment to hybrid vehicles is one of the elements of our voluntary efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There also is a real potential for this initiative to advance the opportunities to create plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on a significant scale.” The City of Chicago is a partner in the National Plug-In Partners Campaign, an effort being led by EESI in partnership with the City of Austin and Austin Energy to demonstrate a market for the mass production of PHEVS. According to Howard Henneman, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Fleet Management, “the partnership with ComEd is a major step in advancing Mayor Daley’s commitment to make Chicago the nation’s most environmentally friendly city. This is a great opportunity to grow sustainable companies, set up manufacturing facilities within the city and create jobs in the Chicago area.” For more details on the PHEV project, please visit:
|
| New York Prohibits Exclusivity Contracts that Prevent Retail of Renewable Fuels New York State Governor George E. Pataki recently signed a new law that will prevent the use of “exclusivity” contracts between fuel providers and retailers to limit the sale of renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol. Exclusivity contracts between fuel distributors and retailers require the franchisee to sell only fuels provided by the distributor. Since most petroleum distributors do not offer ethanol or other renewable fuels in New York State, service stations are contractually prohibited from offering renewable fuels to their customers. This is a large barrier to the large scale market penetration of renewable fuels. The new law is applicable to E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline), biodiesel, hydrogen and compressed natural gas (CNG). Violators of the law will be subject to a $1000 penalty. Distributors offering renewable fuel are permitted to require stations to use their brand. The law is effective immediately and will apply to all subsequent franchisee agreements. According to Governor Pataki, “renewable fuels provide an opportunity for us to significantly reduce our dependence on imported petroleum, and this new law will help to increase the use of renewables by allowing service stations to sell these clean, homegrown fuels.” Earlier this year, Governor Pataki announced a series of measures in his 2006 Executive Budget which will help the state reduce its dependence on foreign oil. The measures include tax credits for hybrids, production tax credits for renewable fuel producers and resources to construct a pilot cellulosic ethanol production facility in the state.
|
CARB Developing Alternative Fuels Incentives Plan The California Air Resources Board (CARB) in partnership with the California Energy Commission (CEC) is working to develop a plan to provide incentives for the production and use of alternative fuels. CARB and CEC are acting pursuant to an Executive Order issued by Governor Schwarzenegger and California’s Climate Action and Bioenergy Action plans. To support these programs the California legislature recently appropriated $25 million for the following initiatives:
California currently has more that 250,000 flexible-fuel vehicles capable of running on E-85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline). However, E-85 infrastructure in the state is in its infancy. Expanded biodiesel use faces similar hurdles. Further, heavy-duty fuel-efficient vehicles (hybrids) and alternatively-fueled vehicles need incentives to broaden their market because they are not yet cost-competitive. Natural gas vehicles can be 30-40 percent more expensive than standard diesel options while upfront costs for diesel-electric hybrids can be two to six times more expensive depending on the vehicle.
CARB held a well-attended workshop on September 21st to discuss these concepts and solicit public input. Participants included technology providers, fuel suppliers, transit agencies, public interest groups and local government officials. CARB is required to allocate funds by June 30, 2007.
|
| EPA Doubles Locomotive Emissions Projections The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has nearly doubled its estimates for annual locomotive emissions due to a calculation error. As a result, the EPA now predicts that the annual emissions from diesel locomotives will be 800,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 25,000 tons of particulate matter by 2030 compared with its earlier projections of 480,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 12,000 tons of particulate matter. EPA plans to release draft regulations at the end of the year to address the impact of locomotives. These regulations are expected to reduce emissions nearly 90 percent from current levels. In addition, the industry is making efforts to introduce hybrid switcher locomotives to help reduce the impact of diesel emissions. Read more about these efforts in the May 2006 issue of this newsletter.
|
|
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (ATA) is awaiting the arrival of its prototype plug-in paratransit bus, the first of its kind in the country. The transit agency, in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Kansas City-based Metropolitan Energy Center, Kansas City Power and Light, and the University of Kansas, will test a Daimler-Chrysler manufactured plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) equipped with a diesel engine and a lithium ion battery pack. The bus will use a 14 KWh battery pack which will provide a 20 mile all-electric range. The project is supported by a $1.1 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) grant from FTA. Private sector services provided matching funds. The trial will collect performance and field data to verify the durability of lithium ion batteries in a PHEV application.
|
|
The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) recently added 12 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to its fleet. The 60-foot articulated buses, manufactured by North American Bus Industries (NABI), are the first of its kind in the LAX fleet. They replace five older diesel buses and will transport passengers between terminals and remote boarding gates. The buses, purchased at a cost of $659,000 each, have seating for 22 plus standing capacity of 80. "The new buses are state-of the-art, alternative fuel, ADA compliant and fully air-conditioned… LAX bus operations logged 659 operations carrying 123,282 passengers in April alone so these buses will more easily accomplish that." said Mark Baskin, a bus operator supervisor.
|
 |
EPA Declines to Strengthen Annual Particulate Standard Ignoring the advice of its own scientific panel, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has chosen to retain its annual standard for fine particulate matter at 15 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3). However, the agency has chosen to strengthen the daily fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) standard to 35 µg/m3 from the current standard of 65 µg/m3. In June 2005, a 22-member EPA Clean Air Science Advisory Committee recommended that the EPA strengthen the federal fine particulate matter standard (PM 2.5) because of growing scientific evidence related to the negative health impacts of fine particulate matter. The panel's recommendations included a new annual standard for PM 2.5 between 13 and 14 µg/m3 compared to the current 15 µg/m3, and a strengthened 24-hour standard of between 30 and 35 µg/m3. Particulate matter has been linked with a host of negative health impacts including acute respiratory infection, chronic obstructive lung disease (especially bronchitis), asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and premature death.
|
 |
California Ports To Develop Hybrid Tractors The twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have announced plans to research, develop and test an ultra-low emission hybrid cargo-handling vehicle know as a “yard hostler.” The $1.2 million, two-year Hybrid Yard Hostler Demonstration and Commercialization Project is supported by a $300,000 award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its West Coast Collaborative. |
|
|
| Weststart-CALSTART 6th Annual HTUF National Meeting http://www.calstart.org/programs/htuf/htuf_registraion_information.php
|
 |
For more information and to register, please visit: |
| EESI’s
National Clean Bus Project is eager to learn about your clean bus
fleet. If you are in the process of procurement, or if you already
operate buses that produce fewer emissions and consume less fuel than
conventional diesel buses, let us know if we haven’t heard – and told
-- your story! Provide (1) the name of your organization and
primary contact person; (2) type of bus engine, fuel, and other emission
control devices used; (3) number of buses; (4) funding sources; (5)
costs and benefits; (6) and lessons learned. We’ll post this information
on our website and include it in future editions of the National Clean Bus
Update! Send this information to |
| The
National Clean Bus Update is a monthly periodical providing an overview
of current program and policy activities related to the deployment
of low-polluting, energy-efficient buses in the |
|
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute is a non-profit organization established in 1984 by a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress to provide timely information on energy and environmental policy issues to policymakers and stakeholders and develop innovative policy solutions that set us on a cleaner, more secure and sustainable energy path . EESI's valuable work in energy, climate change, agriculture, transportation and smart growth is made possible through financial support from people like you. Your tax deductible contribution will help EESI develop innovative policy solutions for a cleaner, safer, healthier world. For more information, go to our website or contact Shefali Ranganathan at sranganathan@eesi.org or call 202-662-1883.
|
| To unsubscribe from the Clean Bus Update click HERE. If your address changes please let us know so that we may keep our records updated. If there are others who should receive the Update, please send their contact information. |
