Domestic Fuel

German auto maker Mercedes-Benz says governments and utility companies need to invest more in hydrogen infrastructure in order to help get use of fuel cells in cars.

The Detroit News says the company made the pitch during the North American International Auto Show and said it soon put 70 fuel-cell powered B-class vehicles on the road soon in California and is promoting an around-the-world tour by fuel-cell B Class:

Mercedes said fuel cell cars are now at the same stage of development as early internal combustion engines in the late nineteenth century, when drivers had to buy gasoline from drug stores.

The fuel-cell B class has a range of 200 miles on one tank of fuel, and takes about three minutes to refill, if you could find a hydrogen filling station.

After making the pitch, the company unveiled an electric version of its gull-wing, two-seater roadster.

More American vehicles will be using more biofuels, as well as electricity and natural gas, in the next 12 years … according to the man in charge of the U.S. government’s investments in General Motors and Chrysler – aka, President Obama’s “car czar.”

This article from Reuters says that U.S. Treasury official Ron Bloom believes the U.S. auto industry will change more in the next dozen years than it did during the past 50 … including the use of alternative energy:

“We will take substantial steps toward using electricity, bio-fuels, and natural gas to power our cars, and those vehicles still using oil will consume far less of it,” Bloom said.

While the percentage of cars using alternative fuels a dozen years from now will still be relatively small, Bloom said, “the shift will be viewed as inevitable, and the trajectory of change will be accelerating with take-off velocity in sight.”

Bloom equates the increase in auto intelligence in the next 12 years to the same leap cellphone technology made in the last dozen years.

The National Biodiesel Board, along with auto industry partners Ford Motor Company and General Motors, will be holding a symposium at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on Wednesday, January 12th from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. in Cobo Center’s Michigan Hall.

This NBB press release says the biodiesel symposium, entitled “Biodiesel: Powerful Fuel, Promising Future,” will highlight how biodiesel is and will be used to power “vehicles in a cleaner, greener, more sustainable manner”:

“We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to feature biodiesel as America’s first Advanced Biofuel to the global automotive industry,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. “The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2) established realistic goals of supplementing the nation’s fuel supply with advanced biofuels which reduce lifecycle carbon by more than 50 percent. Biodiesel is the first advanced biofuel to reach commercial scale production in North America, and it reduces direct lifecycle carbon by more than 80 percent. Biodiesel is thus very well-positioned to help the nation meet its immediate and long-term advanced biofuel goals.”

Jim Michon, Truck Fleet Marketing Manager for Ford Motor Company, said, “Many of our fleet customers are very conscious of the environment, and had been asking us for a truck approved for use with B20 biodiesel. In the process of developing our all-new Ford-designed, Ford-built 2011 Super Duty truck, we thoroughly tested B20 in our new engine under the harshest of conditions. B20 proved itself to provide the same fuel economy, power and performance our customers expect of our high performance diesels – there are no trade-offs for using B20”.

It’s a red letter day for General Motors today, as the very first Chevrolet Volts rolled off the assembly line today at the company’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Michigan. The Volt is the world’s first electric vehicle that also has a gasoline-powered generator, allowing it to keep on driving past the usual 40-mile battery limit.

In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, I speak with Britta Gross, Director of Global Energy Systems and Infrastructure at GM, about the revolutionary technology that makes the Volt a truly impressive vehicle.

“With the Chevy Volt, you don’t have to plan the way you use this vehicle. It’s great if everyone drives off the battery. It’s great if you don’t have to figure out if you can stop at the dry cleaners [or pick up a sick daughter at school]. You don’t have to plan your day around it.”

Gross says it’s practically impossible to tell when you have switched from battery to gasoline power with the transition practically seamless. Plus, she says it easily plugs into a 120 volt, three-prong plug at home for charging overnight. No special charging stations are needed for this electric car.

While she admits the Volt can look a little pricey at first …. about $40,000 before the $7,000-$8,000 in tax credits that kick in … you have to keep in mind that this is first-generation technology and will get lower with time. Remember how much VCR and DVD players were when they first came out? But she says Chevy also has a lease option for the Volt, and at about $350 per month, it’s on par with other vehicles in its class.

Gross says Chevy will produce 10,000 of the Volts in 2011 and another 45,000 in 2012. Now, these first two that rolled off the assembly line today will have special homes – the first will go into GM’s museum and the second is being auctioned off with the proceeds going to support the Detroit Public School’s math and science at www.bidonthevolt.com.

Gross says today is a proud day for her and many of her co-workers, some who have been working more than three years to make this dream a reality. And she says it’s a sign that after a couple of tumultuous years, General Motors is back.

It’s a great conversation, and you can hear more of it in the Domestic Fuel Cast here. Domestic Fuel Cast

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.:

Chevrolet will be highlighting a promise the company made three years ago – to design, build and sell the world’s first electric vehicle with extended-range capability, the Volt – in a web event tomorrow (Tuesday) morning:

To commemorate this milestone, we’ll host an event at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly facility – the home of the Chevrolet Volt. The pre-show begins at 9:30 a.m. EST, and will be led by GM CEO Dan Akerson along with other key members of GM and Chevrolet leadership, including representatives from the Volt development team.

You can check out the webcast here, and I’ll be talking with some of the good folks from Chevy during tomorrow’s Domestic Fuel podcast.

SUV maker Land Rover is set to formally introduce a vehicle that is purported to do pretty well on biodiesel.

This post on The Car Connection blog says the unveiling of the LRX Concept will take place tomorrow for the 40th anniversary of the Range Rover:

The LRX was previously expected to make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show this fall, and that’s still a likely candidate for its first show-circuit appearance. The concept version of the LRX is powered by a 2.0-liter diesel engine capable of sucking 60 mpg out of biodiesel. The biodiesel element may not make it to production, but we’d expect to see a highly-efficient diesel engine in the car from the start–for Europe at least. In the U.S., a small turbocharged gas burner is more likely. Stop-start tech and lightweight materials are also expected to play a key role in fuel savings with the new compact Range Rover.

You can watch the official unveiling at this website.

Communications giant Verizon is adding about 500 Ford cargo vans that will burn compressed natural gas (CNG).

This Ford press release calls the work on the E-250 cargo vans an upfit that will help Verizon reduce its energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions:

“Verizon’s fleet team is constantly on the watch for new, lower-carbon technology,” [Ken McKenney, Sustainable Fleet-Technical Engineering Lead for Verizon] said. “CNG is a leading alternative fuel choice right now, so converting these cargo vans to run on the cleaner-burning fuel helps us cut CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. We will continue to find ways to increase the efficiency of our fleet.”

The vehicles are being converted to CNG by BAF, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

Officials say that this is a move more company fleets could emulate.

Automaker General Motors is offering some natural-gas-powered vans, but they won’t be for the average driver.

USA Today reports GM will offer compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in versions of the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans for commercial fleets:

“We’re listening to our fleet customers and dealers about offering options that help them achieve their business objectives,” said Brian Small, general manager of GM’s fleet and commercial operations. “The industry commitment to expand the CNG and LPG infrastructure in key fleet markets was an enabler to allowing us to introduce these options now.”

Both CNG and LPG vans will carry GM’s limited new vehicle warranty including the 5-year/100,000 mile transferable GM powertrain limited warranty.

GM officials say this will make it easier for commercial customers to choose a CNG or LPG vehicle … and makes the auto giant the only manufacturer to offer the option with this level of support and availability.

Ford has announced a handful of models for their 2011 flexible fuel line-up. The company, who began producing FFVs in the mid 1990′s will offer more than 12 models in the upcoming year, according to a Growth Energy press release.

“If we’re going to reduce emissions, clean the air, and increase our energy independence, we need to ensure that our entire vehicle fleet and fuel infrastructure are ready to use expanded U.S. ethanol production,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “Each additional flex fuel vehicle model gives consumers the option of filling up with domestic, homegrown renewable fuel and enhances our national security, all while creating U.S. jobs and greening our environment. We commend Ford Motor Co. for their continued commitment to manufacture FFVs and we urge Congress to pass legislation that will encourage all vehicles to be flex-fuel and support the construction of blender pumps and ethanol dispensing equipment.”

Today, more than eight million vehicles on U.S. highways are flexible fuel vehicles, out of over 246 million vehicles on the road. Ford’s commitment to manufacture more Flex Fuel Vehicles will help ensure that we meet Congress’ goal of 36 billion gallons of biofuel production by 2022 as enacted in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, Buis said.

Auto giant General Motors (GM) has teamed up with Hawaii’s The Gas Company (TGC), the state’s major gas energy provider, to make hydrogen more available for GM’s growing fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

This GM press release says TGC will send the hydrogen, along with synthetic natural gas, through its utility gas stream and separate the hydrogen at key points along the 1,000 mile utility pipeline:

“This is the type of enabler that a hydrogen transportation infrastructure needs because it addresses both the source of the hydrogen and a feasible way to deliver it for fuel cell vehicle use,” said Charles Freese, executive director of GM Global Fuel Cell Activities. “The Hawaii infrastructure could eventually support tens of thousands of fuel cell vehicles.

“We have been delivering as much as 12 percent hydrogen made from renewable sources to our gas customers over the last two to three years and expect we can deliver even greater quantities of hydrogen as demand increases,” said Jeffrey Kissel, president and CEO of TGC. “By delivering hydrogen through our existing infrastructure as vehicle fuel wherever we have gas, The Gas Company expands its key role of supporting Hawaii’s clean energy future.”

Officials believe the price for the hydrogen could be equal to or less than gasoline.

According to a Protec Fuel press release, the Florida-based corporation will be supplying E85 for the EcoCAR Challenge. The EcoCAR challenges 16 universities across the U.S. and Canada to redesign and reengineer a General Motors donated vehicle to further minimize energy consumption and reduce emissions.

“Protec continues to show great leadership in the area of biofuel commercialization. We are pleased that Protec is sponsoring the EcoCAR Challenge helping to support education and technology,” said Mary Beth Stanek, Director of Environment and Energy Policy and Commercialization for General Motors. Todd Garner, CEO of Protec Fuel stated that “developing the next generation of engineers focused on E85 and flex fuel vehicles is critical. E85 must play an integral role in our transportation fuel mix since the Renewable Fuels Standard 2 cannot be mathematically achieved without a significant expansion of E85 use.”

The EcoCAR Challenge is in year two out of its three year run. Over the last academic year, EcoCAR teams have spent countless hours developing prototype advanced technology vehicles that will be judged in more than a dozen technical events at this year’s competition finals, which will be held May 17-27, 2010. Events will take place at the GM Desert Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona and at locations throughout San Diego, California.

The EcoCAR Challenge is also sponsored by the Department of Energy.

The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVI) 2010 Conference is now in full swing in Las Vegas. The 16th annual event is offering its attendees a wide array of workshops and sessions concentrated on alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles.

The AFVI show kicked off on Sunday featuring speakers on compressed natural gas (CNG), propane, biodiesel, electric and ethanol. Nearly 90 exhibitor booths opened on Monday at noon including companies such as General Motors, Toyota, Ford, the National Biodiesel Board, Dresser Wayne, and Honda among others.

In their booth, Dresser Wayne is displaying a CNG dispenser, E85 fleet dispenser and a diesel exhaust fluid dispenser (see right). “It’s always a good opportunity to participate in a show like this to learn about about emerging opportunities relating to alternative fuels,” noted Dresser Wayne’s Director, Alternative Energy Products, Scott Negley.

A “Ride-n-Drive” also took place today offering attendees a chance to experience how an alternative vehicle feels on the road. Vehicles included in the Ride-n-Drive included: Ford E-250 (Propane); THINK THINK City (Electric); Camry (Hybrid); Highlander (Hybrid); Prius (Hybrid); Prius (Plug-in Hybrid); Civic GX (CNG); FCX Clarity (Hydrogen Fuel Cell); Volkswagen Golf TDI (BioDiesel); Volkswagen Jetta (BioDiesel); Crane Carrier LET2 (CNG/Hydraulic Hybrid); Starcraft Allstar (CNG); XCaliber CNG66 Mower (CNG); Escape (Hybrid); Fusion (Hybrid); Global Electric Motorcars e4 (Electric); Ford F-Series (Biodiesel – B20); and Chevy Tahoe (Flex Fuel Vehicle)

The 2010 AFVI show concludes tomorrow.

In 2006, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors all promised to double annual FFV production to 2 million vehicles by 2010. Ford has announced that by the end of 2010, they will fulfill that promise.

In a letter that was addressed to Members of Congress on June 28, 2006, the automobile manufacturers stated:
When we met with leaders in Washington last month, we were encouraged to find deep, bipartisan determination to address the far reaching impact of our nation’s growing dependence on foreign oil. As we reiterated last month, we believe renewable fuels can play an important role in addressing this national problem. The good news is that ethanol and other biofuels are well known to our country and to the U.S. auto industry. For decades, farmers in the heartland have been turning corn into fuel, and, likewise, we at DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors have been building flexible vehicles that run on ethanol.

But we are prepared to do more. We are proud to announce that we will double our production of vehicles that are capable of running on renewable fuels by 2010. That’s more than two million E85 and biodiesel capable vehicles a year by the end of the decade – the single largest commitment to renewable fuels in our nation’s history.

Ford’s announcement was made today by Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, at the 2010 BIO International Convention in Chicago. “Flexible-fuel vehicles are a great alternative for our customers because they provide owners with the option to choose between using E85 and gasoline when filling up a car,” Cischke said. “Ethanol and other biofuels also help reduce the county’s dependence on imported oil.”

Ford along with DaimlerChrysler and General Motors plans to expand its fleet of flexible-fuel vehicles to 50 percent of vehicle production by 2012.

Ford currently offers 11 FFV models within the U.S.

The 2011 Buick Regals will soon join the line as being E85 compatible. Starting in the fall months, Buick retailers will have on their lots the Regal and the Lucerne as being able to use the clean burning product.

According to Autoblog.com, the E85 capable 2.0-liter direct injected turbo four will begin arriving on lots in late August, along with the 2.4-liter. The turbo will be GM’s first production E85-capable turbocharged and direct injected engine. The engine was originally developed for the new Saab 9-5, which rides on the same Epsilon II platform as the Regal, and GM decided to install it in the U.S.-spec Buick as well. The new Regal has been available in China since late 2008.

According Jim Federico, vehicle line executive for the global midsize platform, combining direct injection and turbocharging will allow the new engine to get much closer to the volumetric fuel efficiency of gasoline while running on ethanol. Until now, normally aspirated flex-fuel engines typically have gotten about 15 percent worse fuel efficiency on ethanol. The Regal engine should cut that deficit to the mid-single digits and future versions should be just about even.

General Motors now offers a large selection of E85 compatible vehicles for purchase including the Chevrolet HHR, Malibu, Taho, Avalanche, Express, Impala and Suburban along with the GMC Yukon, Sierra, and Savana among others.

Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) signed a joint final rule that establishes greenhouse gas emission standards and corporate fuel economy standards for light duty vehicles for model years 2012-2016. This National Fuel Efficiency Policy requires passenger cars and light trucks to get an overall average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016 while cars are expected to average 39 mpg and trucks will be required to get 30 mpg. According to the current administration, this measure is expected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program.

However, we could actually reduce oil imports and emissions even more under this program by using ethanol.

Ricardo’s EBDI engine technology

Let me explain. The easiest way to gain the improved fuel economy is through “engine downsizing,” in other words, using smaller engines. But the new smaller engine technologies will not mean less power, like in the past. According to Ethanol Boosting Systems, their technology enables gasoline engines to “reach their full potential” by utilizing performance enhancing properties of ethanol in conjunction with advances in direct injection (DI) and turbocharging.

Here is how their system works: The EBS approach uses controlled direct ethanol injection to add a very significant vaporization-enhanced On-Demand Octane BoostTM that essentially removes the knock limit on engine performance. The elimination of the knock constraint has been proven by systematic engine dynamometer tests. This allows a small gasoline engine to provide the same or higher torque as compared to a conventional engine of much larger size.
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