The Mid-Japan Economist newspaper today reported that Toyota plans to produce a hybrid version of the Yaris subcompact at its factory in France starting next April. This report follows at least a year's worth of rumors about a small hybrid slated for production at Toyota's Valenciennes factory.

Honda is the only other carmaker with concrete plans to produce small affordable hybrids. The Honda CR-Z coupe went on sale last month, and at next month's Paris Motor Show the company will unveil the Honda Fit Hybrid, which could come to the United States in the next year or two.

Critics argue that hybrid systems do not make sense for small cars, which are already relatively efficient. But tougher environmental laws throughout the world will require lower emissions for cars of all sizes.

Hybrids on a Global Scale

Stories about another tiny Toyota hybrid in the works-a Scion iQ Hybrid-first emerged in January 2010. A year earlier, at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Toyota introduced the FT-EV pure electric concept-which shares its platform with iQ. We reported last week that Toyota is working on a hybrid version of the Toyota Etios, a compact car for the Chinese and Indian markets. And in the United States, Toyota is scheduled next year to introduce the Lexus CT200h, a small sporty luxury hybrid.

According to R.L. Polk, global sales of hybrids through June of this year have reached 766,086 units-already surpassing last year's total global production of 740,355. In other words, while hybrid sales have been flat in the United States, global hybrid production in 2010 will more than double last year's volume. Further increases in hybrid production in Asia and Europe will likely occur with the introduction of small cars equipped with hybrid gas-electric drivetrains.

The increase in global hybrid production will help carmakers reach economies of scale, especially with hybrid batteries. If the cost comes down, then the technology could be applied-with little or no premium-to affordable models like the Toyota Yaris. The conventional Yaris is rated at 29 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway. Fuel economy for the Yaris Hybrid, depending on its design, could exceed the Prius's average of 50 mpg.

Reprinted with permission from HybridCars.com ]]> Transportation transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:36:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/toyota-yaris-join-push-small.cfm HybridCars http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/whiskey-derived-fuel-patented-scotland.cfm By Chris Milton

The hunt for a commercially viable biobutanol could finally be over thanks to an inspired, if ironic, bit of recycling by scientists working at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland.

They’ve taken the two main waste products from the Scotch whisky production cycle and brought them together in a process which outputs biobutanol, long heralded as a next generation biofuel because it produces up to 30% more power than ethanol and can be used in existing combustion engine cars without modification.

The process has now been patented by the University which has also set up a limited company to leverage the commercial possibilities of the invention.

Professor Martin Tangney, Director of the Biofuel Research Centre at Edinburgh Napier University, believes the biofuel could be sold at garages alongside normal gas. He said, “I would expect to see this as a fuel in forecourts in years rather than decades”.

The irony of the discovery is that biobutanol was first produced in Scotch whiskey stills by Chaim Weizmann, although his aim was to produce acetone and butanol was just a by-product. Recent attempts have focused upon using a form of the yeast Weizmann used in existing ethanol plants, genetically modified to produce more butanol and less acetone and ethanol.

The new process could be applied much further afield than the Scotch whiskey industry. This produces 1,600 million liters of pot ale and 187,000 tonnes of draff annually, the two waste products which are used by the process to create biobutanol.

However these waste products are common to all whiskey manufacturing processes, so it’s possible the process or a slightly modified version of it could be used by the whiskey industry worldwide.

Furthermore draff is also produced by most forms of grain-based beer making, vastly expanding the potential scope of applications of a modified version of the process.

All this is in the future. For now, perhaps the most important point is that the biobutanol is coming from a waste product, not a specially grown crop.

As Professor Tangney comments, “While some energy companies are growing crops specifically to generate biofuel, we are investigating excess materials such as whisky by-products to develop them. This is a more environmentally sustainable option.” Amen to that.

Picture Credit: Glenrothes still house 2 by yvescosentino from flickr under Creative Commons Attribution License.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

(Reuters) - The warmth generated by human bodies in the Parisian metro will help heat a public housing project in the city center, the capital's largest owner of social housing said on last week.

The building, located in the famous rue Beaubourg close to the Pompidou museum, is being renovated in an environmentally friendly way.

"Luckily, the building is connected to the metro through a staircase," Francois Wachnick from Paris Habitat told Reuters.

The calories emitted by passengers, around 100 watts per person, combined with the heat from trains moving along tracks and the underground location of the metro mean that corridor temperatures are 14-20 degrees Celsius all year around.

The project, which is based on geothermal technology, aims to draw heat from subterranean passages and move it to heat exchangers before supplying heating pipes. The system will complement district heating.

The project should slash carbon dioxide emissions by a third compared to using a boiler room connected to district heating, Wachnick said.

A tender for the experimental project, which is expected to heat 17 flats, will be launched before the end of the year, and work is expected to start in 2011.

But the system, which Wachnick said is also being carried out in Austria, will not be generalized in Paris because of costs and the need to build passages to convey the heat from the metro to buildings.

"We were lucky to find a passageway that allows us to collect the heat directly from the metro, without having to pay to build one, otherwise it would have been impossible," he added.

Article by Mathide Cru; Writing by Muriel Boselli; editing by Jane Baird; appearing courtesy Reuters and reprinted with permission from CleanTechies ]]> At Home biofuels Geothermal Energy Transportation Government Urban Planning at home green building green living living green green building products building green solar energy home energy efficient homes green building council green building materials green home building building green house energy star home solar houses biofuels biofuels posts biofuels entries energy efficiency urban planning ecocities ecocity smart growth sprawl green cities urban design project public transit urban planning association smart growth transportation greenhouse gas emissions from transportation urban transportation planning green public transit green transit geothermal energy geothermal energy posts geothermal energy entries Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:20:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/paris-metro-body-heat-help.cfm CleanTechies http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/ices-remain-king-small-large.cfm

There are several reasons that HEVs may not be capturing the same level of small car market share as the ICE small cars, though price and value are certainly one of the key issues. In this segment, many consumers are inclined to go for solutions that don't break the bank, such as flex-fuel vehicles or high-efficiency or turbo ICEs. If product plans are representative of an automaker's opinion, there appears to be some agreement with this strategy as high-efficiency ICEs with improved fuel economy with minimal cost increase seem to be the direction many are headed with new products (for example, the Chevy Cruze and Ford Fiesta).

This leads one to expect that the growth of plug-in vehicles in this segment will likely be niche vehicles, similar to how small luxury cars are niche vehicles within the small car segment.

Beyond cars, consumer demand continues to push the development of trucks, whether that's crossover SUVs or full-size pickup trucks. Midsize/large SUVs and pick-up trucks combined account for about 27% of the U.S. new vehicle market, while sales of hybrids in these segments combine for about 3% (a total of 4 models, all GM). This mismatch between share of ICEs and HEVs is the result of several factors, cost of the vehicles, fuel economy gains that require many years of use to see payback, and lack of availability.

The prevailing assumption is that most consumers won't pay for small improvements from HEVs in fuel economy in big truck segments, and that assumption is likely correct. The cost recovery for a $4,000 to $8,000 premium for the HEV version likely takes many years to pay back with fuel economy gains that net savings of $300 to $500/year (based on a 12K miles per year driving cycle and $3/gallon gas price). Even at double the gas price, paybacks on expensive HEVs system are at least 5 years or longer. Additionally, let's not forget that truck buyers in the bigger vehicle segments are often looking for specific towing or cargo capabilities that HEVs have to live up to, which in some cases may drive the cost of the HEV even higher. The differences between HEV and ICE segment market share point to an opportunity within these segments for other less-costly technologies such as high-efficiency ICEs, start-stop hybrids or turbo-diesel engines.

Dave Hurst is senior analyst at clean tech research and consulting firm Pike Research ]]> Transportation Partner Feed transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids partner feed matter network matter network partner feed Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:36:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/ices-remain-king-small-large.cfm Dave Hurst http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/why-60-mpg-good-deal.cfm This is a guest editorial from Roland Hwang of the Natural Resourced Defense Council.

Today, a consumer group, Consumer Federation of America, released a new study that clearly shows stronger pollution and fuel efficiency standards that result in 60 miles per gallon by 2025 is good for consumers' pocketbooks. But not only do consumers win, it also means less pollution, less oil dependency, and a stronger, more competitive auto industry. It's one of the best examples of why good environmental and clean energy policy goes hand-in-hand with lowering consumer fuel bills and restoring American industry to a leadership position.

Achieving 60 mpg by 2025 can be done by using and improving on technologies that already exist, such as hybrid electric cars and electric vehicles. In fact, according to a new study released yesterday by the University of Michigan, the technical potential is to triple fuel economy to 74 mpg, even before considering plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. We have learned from cell phones, microwaves, and computers that higher volumes can lead to dramatic improvement in innovation and drive down costs.

Raising standards to 60 mpg is good for consumers, good for the environment and good for jobs. Here are the top three reasons why we need stronger pollution and fuel efficiency standards:

Reason #1: Pays for itself. According to the consumer group Consumer Federation of America, cost of fuel savings technologies pays for itself in the first year of ownership.

Reason #2: Making cars and trucks go further on a gallon is the cleanest, cheapest, and fastest way to meet our energy needs. It will reduce our dependency on oil from the Middle East while cutting emissions of greenhouse gas and other pollutants.. Passenger vehicles-cars, minivans, pickups and SUVs-are the single biggest consumer of oil, accounting for about 40 percent of our oil consumption. To break our oil addiction and avoid future disasters like the Gulf spill, we must raise the efficiency of our cars and trucks.

Reason #3: Without stronger standards, American automakers could fall behind in the global race for the clean car market, putting even more manufacturing jobs at risk. As recent reports by the business consulting firm McKinsey and Company show and others, the US auto industry is locked in a global race to dominate the market for clean, advanced technology vehicles. In the 1970s, the U.S. auto industry fell asleep at the wheel when it came to building fuel efficient cars and ceded huge market share to the Japanese companies like Toyota and Honda. In the 1990s, while the U.S. auto industry chose to build Hummers rather than hybrids, it once again, fell behind in leadership to Toyota and Honda on hybrids. In the 2010's, without stronger standards, the U.S. auto industry risk losing ground to the fast rising Chinese auto industry.

This post by Roland Hwang first appeared on Switchboard, the Natural Resources Defense Council blog. ]]> Transportation transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:03:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/why-60-mpg-good-deal.cfm HybridCars http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/portlands-popular-streetcars-spark-interest.cfm By Christopher DeMorro

This summer I was lucky enough to be able to drive across the county and visit 29 states and dozens of different cities. One city that really stuck out to me though was Portland. It was young, hip, and, although cool in its own right, was not at all my scene (I'm a country boy through and through). What really stuck out to me about Portland though was the traffic, or lack thereof. See, Portland has a rather complete public transportation system, which includes a lot of streetcars.

The streetcars have been a success for Portland, and other cities are taking notice. Combine that with changes to the Department of Transportation's new guidelines for building public transit, and we could see a real streetcar renaissance.

It used to be that there was hardly a city anywhere that didn't have a streetcar line running down most major roads. Before cars became popular, streetcars and steam trains were the most popular methods of travel. Unfortunately, streetcars and trains died together as Americans flocked towards cheap cars and cheap gas. Those days appear to be coming to an end though, and streetcars are poised to make a major comeback.

Portland's streetcar system is a driving factor behind many new streetcar projects. Studies suggest the streetcar lines in Portland have brought $3.5 billion of business investment and resulted in over 10,000 units of housing being built and filled. My experience is that you can get almost anywhere in Portland via their public transportation. If more cities would use streetcars, it would likely lead to similar results, all the while reducing traffic congestion and bringing in jobs. And more jobs is exactly what our country needs.

Source: USA Today | Image: Associated Press

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0 ]]> Carbon Emissions Transportation Alternative Fuel Government Urban Planning alternative fuel energy efficiency transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids urban planning ecocities ecocity smart growth sprawl green cities urban design project public transit urban planning association smart growth transportation greenhouse gas emissions from transportation urban transportation planning green public transit green transit Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:52:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/portlands-popular-streetcars-spark-interest.cfm Gas 2.0 http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/9/all-electric-city-buses-go.cfm Three fully-electric buses are now operating on routes in eastern Los Angeles county.

This is the first major deployment of zero-emissions buses made by Proterra, Inc. The buses achieve between 18 and 29 miles per gallon (diesel-fuel equivalent) fully loaded with 68 passengers--a 500% improvement on comparable diesel buses.

With up to three hours of operation and the ability to recharge in less than 10 minutes on route, Proterra says the buses can easily be incorporated into any transit agencies' existing routes without impacting their schedules or routes.

Foothill Transit, a public transport provider in Southern San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, put the buses and related fast-charging stations into operation this week. The company has set a goal of establishing a full fleet of clean-fueled vehicles by 2011.

The deployment of the Proterra bus by Foothill Transit, advances the electric transit industry, providing a real-world example of the benefits and ease of deployment. California transit agencies are required to make zero emission buses 15% of their annual bus orders starting in 2012.

The EcoRide BE35 has a light-weight composite body and contains all electric components, including an electric drive motor supplied by UQM (AMEX: UQM). Proterra says the bus offers greater than $300,000 savings in total lifetime operating expenses.

Reprinted with permission from SustainableBusiness.com ]]> Transportation transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol gas mileage hybrid suv hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:09:00 -0700 http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/9/all-electric-city-buses-go.cfm SustainableBusiness http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/proposed-vehicle-labels-include-ghg.cfm By Thomas Miner

The U.S. EPA and Department of Transportation today proposed two new fuel economy labels for passenger vehicles and light trucks, both of which change the way fuel efficiency information is communicated and includes detailed information about vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions.

The first label design (see Image 1 below) proposed features a letter grade which communicates the vehicles overall fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions performance. It also provides consumers an estimate of the expected fuel cost savings over five years compared to an average gasoline-powered vehicle of the same model year.

The second label (see Image 2 below) proposed would keep the standard miles-per-gallon metric and communicate the yearly fuel costs of the vehicle instead of the fuel cost savings. The label also includes metrics about the vehicles GHG emissions as compares overall performance with other vehicles in the same class as well as average vehicle performance.

The labels are currently open to a 60-day public comment period and the agencies hope to have a final label design by the beginning of 2011. This will allow the new window stickers to be rolled-out for the 2012 model year, when the first GHG emissions limits for cars and light trucks takes effect. According to Reuters, the new efficiency rules will require vehicles achieve, on average, 35.5 miles-per-gallon by 2016, a 42% increase from current limits.

Reprinted with permission from Sustainable Life Media ]]> Carbon Emissions Transportation Energy Efficiency Government carbon emissions carbonemissions posts carbonemissions entries carbonemissions technology environment energy solar power solar energy wind energy wind turbines doe gov alternative energy renewable energy geothermal ethanol refineries wave power technology clean energy alternative energy companies clean energy fuels energy efficiency transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:32:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/9/proposed-vehicle-labels-include-ghg.cfm Sustainable Life Media http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/8/how-fast-can-really-charge.cfm We are quickly approaching the launch dates of the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt-the first two globally-distributed and mass-market plug-in cars the world has ever seen. Beyond those two groundbreaking vehicles, every major automaker has now committed to delivering some sort of plug-in vehicle within the next five years. As the public's attention shifts to the battery-powered drivetrain and its perceived shortcomings, the question of how long it will take to charge the battery has rightly taken center stage.

To this point, much of the conversation regarding plug-in car charging times has revolved around what kind of charging station you use. In the US, as many of us know, there are essentially three types of charging:

A standard 3-prong household outlet, also known as "Level 1 charging"
A specialized home charging station, also known as "Level 2 charging"
A commercial quick charging station, known alternately as both "DC fast charging" and "Level 3 charging."
Listening to radio and TV shows, and reading through internet threads devoted to the topic of "How long will it take me to charge my electric car," it is apparent that there is a very big information gap out there when it come to charging times and what you might reasonably expect for your Nissan LEAF or Chevy Volt or Coda Sedan or whatever other electric car come down the pipe.

A battery is just a storage device for energy. Any given battery's potential energy storage is rated in terms of kilowatt-hours (kWh). For instance, the Nissan LEAF effectively has a 22 kWh battery, and the Chevy Volt effectively has an 8 kWh battery. In the US, your standard household outlet (Level 1 charging) can deliver about 1.6 kW (after accounting for losses and other items). To figure out how long it will take you to fully charge a given battery, simply divide the battery's size by the outlet's output. For instance, a 16 kWh battery will take 10 hours to fully charge from a standard outlet (16 kWh/1.6 kW).

So, if you install a Level 2 home charging station in your garage, how much shorter will the recharge times be? In the US, Level 2 stations are rated up to 14.4 kW (240 Volt / 60 Amp) outputs, but most of them will probably be installed on standard dryer circuits (240Volt / 30 Amp) and be able to output about 6.5 kW (after accounting for losses and other items). Of course, you can go higher if you buy a station that is rated higher and you pay for the upgraded wiring and circuitry to get you to 60 Amps, but for the sake of discussion, let's assume an output of 6.5 kW for a Level 2 station.

Using the same logic as for your standard household outlet above, you'd think a Level 2 station could charge that 16 kWh battery in about 2.5 hours, but this is where things get a little tricky. As it turns out, the station is just the energy supplier in the charging world-the actual device that regulates charging speed is on-board the car. And, as it also turns out, this on-board charger is the absolute critical piece to understanding how fast you can charge your brand spanking new electric car.

If you wanted to take maximum advantage of your typical Level 2 station, you'd want an on-board charger that could handle at least 6.5 kW. In fact, looking back at previous electric cars that were released back in the California mandate days, the original Toyota RAV4 EV was equipped with a 6.6 kW charger. Today, things are quite a bit different though. The first gen LEAF is shipping with a 3.3 kW charger, same as the first gen Volt. The Coda Sedan, however, is shipping with a 6.6 kW charger.

So even if your Level 2 station is rated at 6.5 or 6.6 kW, if you have a LEAF or Volt, you'll never be able to push more than 3.3 kW to the battery at any given time-resulting in charging speeds that are half that of what you might expect based on the charging station's stats. However, if you have a Coda, you'll be able to take full advantage of it. Even more confusing, the on-board charger doesn't affect how fast you can charge your plug-in at a DC fast charging station. In that case, the DC station is just dumping energy very quickly into the battery and kind of bypasses the on-board charger. You could get a Nissan LEAF battery from 0-80% full in about 25 minutes at a DC fast charging station. The Volt and Coda don't have DC fast charging capability.

In their defense, Nissan has said that the inclusion of the 3.3 kW charger was a choice they wouldn't make again in retrospect, and they plan on upgrading to a 6.6 kW charger for the next generation LEAF. At that point they also plan on making the 6.6 kW charger available for installation in the first gen LEAF, likely for some additional cost. My guess is that the Japanese Nissan LEAF engineers, working in a secretive Japanese world when first designing the LEAF, based their assumptions on Japanese outlets. A standard Japanese outlet is rated at 200 V and 15 Amps, or about 3 kW. In Japan there won't be any Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 charging-just standard household outlets and DC fast charging while on the road-so there's no need for a charger rated higher than 3.3 kW. Whoops...

Yet, in the end, all of this talk of charging speeds and times from empty to full really doesn't make much sense because we're rarely going to be filling our plug-in cars from empty to full. More likely you'll drive the thing 40 miles in a day and then come home at night and plug it in. When you wake up in the AM it will be fully charged no matter how long it took. But if you only have to drive 40 miles a day, even a charge on a 3-prong outlet is a reasonable 6 hours, so focusing the charging speed becomes less important.

Reprinted with permission from PluginCars.com ]]> Transportation transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:28:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/8/how-fast-can-really-charge.cfm PluginCars http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/8/could-mazdaspeed-3-go-diesel.cfm By Christopher DeMorro

I have a rather positive outlook on diesel engines, especially compared to many of my older contemporaries. To me diesels, are powerful, efficient, and sound a good deal cooler than most gasoline engines. Many older car buyers today though think of diesel engines as smoky, smelly, cranky old engines like those from the 1970's and 80's.

My how times have changed. Mazda, an automaker that prizes itself on its youthfulness, is considering adding a diesel engine to the Mazdaspeed 3. A diesel-powered performance hatchback for the youth, you say? Sign me up!

Car & Driver reports that Mazda Senior VP of Product Development Robert Davis talked about possibly using a diesel engine in the Mazdaspeed 3. This is far from set in stone, and Car & Driver sounds more than a little skeptical. However, Davis says that its youthful buyers don't have the same negative perceptions of diesel cars... because we weren't around to hate them.

Davis also said that "performance wouldn't be degraded," which is fantastic to hear. The Mazdaspeed series of cars is Mazda's "performance" badge. The Mazdaspeed 3 is a peppy little hatchback (albeit wrong-wheel drive) and diesel engines are known for their torque. Throw in Mazda's upcoming series of Sky engine, packing at least the 263 horsepower the current Mazdaspeed 3 makes (plus more torque naturally), and you've got a fun car with great fuel economy. And that is exactly what my generation is looking for.

Let's hope they come through!

Source: Car & Driver | Image: Mazda

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0. ]]> Carbon Emissions Transportation Alternative Fuel alternative fuel carbon emissions carbonemissions posts carbonemissions entries carbonemissions environment transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:16:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/8/could-mazdaspeed-3-go-diesel.cfm Gas 2.0 http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/8/how-stop-idling-trucks-from.cfm By Timothy B. Hurst

If you've ever traveled on a U.S. Interstate Highway at night, you've likely come across large numbers of trucks idling at rest areas and truck stops. Long-haul truckers are required by law to rest for 10 out of every 24 hour period. But at rest, most trucks will idle their main diesel engine to provide heating and cooling, to keep the engine and fuel warm in winter, and to provide power for electrical appliances like microwaves and TV sets without draining the batteries.

But all that resting really adds up, both in terms of cost to the truckers and trucking companies, and in terms of environmental cost. At current fuel prices, the average long-haul truck uses $3,000-$4,000 worth of diesel every year just idling. And with some fleets as large as 10,000 vehicles, the high cost of idling cuts into already narrow profit margins.

But the bigger issue for state and municipal governments is not fuel cost, it is air pollution (the federal government has yet to enact any anti-idling laws but they have set forth guidelines for states to follow if they wish). Idling anywhere between 500 and 3,500 hours a year and burning an average of .80 gallons of diesel fuel per hour, long-haul trucks emit 11 million tons of CO2, 200,000 tons of NOx, and 5,000 tons of particulate matter into the air annually.

Trucking companies used to eat the costs of truck idling, including the cost of state and local fines. But rising fuel and fine costs have spurred companies to seek alternative solutions to truck idling because, according to some reports, it has gotten to the point where it can cost less to get a hotel room than idle a truck.

New laws spurring development of clean-idling technologies

As of July 2010, 22 states and several large municipalities including the District of Columbia have enacted anti-idling regulations that normally limit idling to no more than five minutes. And in California, anti-idling enforcement is on the rise (pdf). In 2007, the California Air Quality Resources Board issued 135 anti-idling violations for large vehicles. In 2008, this number jumped to 511.

But despite the rash of new regulations and stepped-up enforcement, industry estimates are that less than 10 percent of the 1.4 million big trucks on the road have some form of auxiliary power unit (APU) on board that allows the main diesel engine to shut down yet still provide heating, cooling and electrical power for interior lighting and appliances. And of those roughly 100,000 trucks that do have APUs, most of those still run on diesel fuel, emitting CO2 and particulates into the air. Not only that, but the more costly diesel APUs still require fuel and cost more to keep up.

Bucking this trend, several companies including Thermo King, Idle Free and Glacier Bay have developed all-electric APU and battery systems that can provide climate control and electricity for a truck cab or sleeper -- and do so while producing zero emissions.

According to company spokesman Russell Castronovo, who I recently spoke with via telephone, Glacier Bay's ClimaCab can keep a truck's cab at 75F for 10 hours anywhere and at any time of year in the US and Canada.

The ClimaCab combines a four-battery system with advanced battery management and variable-speed compressors and blowers. The variable speed motors are critical component of maximizing battery life and performance while the truck is at rest.

"Depending on variables, an electric APU can pay for itself in 1-2 years," said Castronovo. The all-electric ClimaCab system costs $6,000-$7,000 to install on a standard sleeper-cab truck. Castronovo also pointed out that many states have rebates and other incentives that could help reduce the cost even more.

And apparently Glacier Bay is onto something. In 2009, while the market for new trucks was down by 50 percent and the overall trucking APU market was down by 70 percent, Glacier Bay grew from a $2 million business to a $15 million business.

Reprinted with permission from Earth and Industry ]]> Carbon Emissions Transportation carbon emissions carbon trading carbon caps transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol gas mileage hybrid suv hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0700 http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/8/how-stop-idling-trucks-from.cfm EarthandIndustry http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/8/hydraulic-hybrid-trucks-fill-niche.cfm Clean Energy Coalition in Southeastern Michigan to see and learn more about the Eaton Hydraulic Launch Assist garbage truck purchased by the city of Ann Arbor. Hydraulic hybrids are similar to electric hybrids, except instead of storing energy captured from braking in batteries, the energy is stored in hydraulic fluid. The accumulator for the hydraulics stores compressed fluid which when released powers a hydraulic motor to provide power to the wheels of the vehicles during acceleration.

The point was made during the meeting that passenger cars and large SUVs or pickups have also been tested with hydraulic hybrid technology. The main reason that these technologies have not caught on in smaller vehicles is due to the weight of the hydraulic fluid. The amount of fluid needed would substantially increase the weight of a passenger vehicle thereby reducing the overall gains. This has largely left development focused on truck segments in recent years.

In trucks, hydraulic hybrids have a lot of potential for fuel savings. As John Kargul, EPA's Director of Technology Transfer pointed out during his presentation, hydraulic hybrids are 70% more efficient than traditional Class 6 trucks compared to less than 25% efficiency increase for electric hybrids during a cycle of acceleration to 35 mph and then braking back to 0 mph. This type of operation is well suited to inner-city deliver or garbage collection trucks where vehicles are starting and stopping often and results in 50% fuel savings, according to the EPA.

The hydraulic technology (fluid, pumps, motors, accumulators, etc) used by this type of hybrid is generally well understand and commonplace. Newer accumulator tanks that use carbon fiber to reduce costs are likely the biggest technological breakthrough in recent years, though there have most certainly been other advances in motor and pump efficiency as well. Mass production would help reduce costs, as well.

However, the costs of hydraulic hybrids are not likely fall as dramatically as many anticipate battery prices will in the coming years.

Generally speaking, the hydraulic hybrid cost premium is often similar to that of electric hybrids in medium and heavy duty trucks. This means that the payback period on the premium for hydraulic hybrids is potentially much better if the improvement in efficiency is to be believed. Eaton is claiming a two year payback on their hydraulic launch assist technology in heavy duty trucks (though when I did the math with diesel prices hovering at $3/gallon, I came up with closer to three years). Either way, if these numbers prove valid in the real world, then hydraulics have the potential to be a better bet than electric hybrids for fleets looking to reduce their overall vehicle ownership costs.

Hydraulic hybrids will play a role in the marketplace, but Pike Research anticipates that this role will be with the bigger trucks, Class 6, 7, and 8 in specific niches. Hydraulic hybrids are also likely to be limited to some degree by the job a truck does. For example, a hybrid electric refrigerated truck can run the compressors for the refrigerated box off battery electricity, reducing idle time, but can't do the same with hydraulic systems. As a result, the hydraulic hybrids are likely to grow within specific niches (garbage trucks, inner-city delivery trucks, shuttle buses), but will likely find difficulty breaking out of those niches.

Dave Hurst is a senior analyst at Pike Research, a clean tech consulting firm based in Boulder, Colorado. ]]> Transportation Partner Feed transportation hybrid cars toyota prius electric cars biodiesel ethanol business technology hybrid vehicles fuel economy toyota sustainability electric yacht green cars green cars and biodiesel electric vehicle batteries emissions from cars plugin hybrids partner feed matter network matter network partner feed Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:42:00 -0700 http://www.matternetwork.com/2010/8/hydraulic-hybrid-trucks-fill-niche.cfm Dave Hurst http://featured.matternetwork.com/2010/8/what-toyota-plug-prius-will.cfm by Nick Chambers