Domestic Fuel

Over 100 fleet managers, city, state and county government representatives, fuel producers and distributors and fuel retailers gathered together Wednesday in Dothan, Alabama to become informed leaders for the state’s emerging biofuels marketplace.

“We are gathered here today to bring you more awareness of the five alternative fuels of propane, compressed natural gas, E85, biodiesel and electric vehicles,” said Mark Bentley of Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.

Speakers during the event included Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz; Kathy Hornsby of Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs; Larry Fillmer, Executive Director of Auburn’s Natural Resources Management & Development Institute; Michelle Kautz, Market Development Manager from Growth Energy speaking on E85 and ethanol blender pumps, and Rob Dascal of Renewable Energy Group (REG) speaking on biodiesel. REG currently produces over 25% of America’s biodiesel.

Retailing biofuels in Alabama was discussed by Hayden Powers, Municipal Sales Manager for the McPherson Oil Company and the municipal use of alternative fuels was explored by David Lindon, Director of Hoover Fleet Management. The City of Hoover has been nationally & internationally recognized for its use of alternative fuels. Over 85% of Hoover’s vehicles are powered by alternative fuels. Clean Energy (the Boone Pickens Company) was represented by Mason Ecker. Clean Energy is the largest provider of Natural Gas in North America with a broad customer base in the refuse, transit, port, shuttle, taxi, regional trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets.

Other topics included propane, electric vehicles and funding opportunities for alternative fuels.

The CEO of one of the world’s biggest petroleum companies says his company will soon produce more natural gas than oil and is investing more than ever in biofuels.

And this article from the Wall Street Journal says that Peter Voser of Royal Dutch Shell says he expects in the next 40 years, 40 percent of the world’s cars will be electric:

Mr. Voser sat down with The Wall Street Journal’s Alan Murray and Kimberley Strassel to talk about the future of climate-change legislation, the company’s push beyond oil, the prospects for electric vehicles and more…

MR. VOSER: We are focusing a lot on biofuels at this stage.
Read the rest of this post…

A pretty bold concept car from Kia Motors that should be as green as it is cool looking has made its debut at this year’s Chicago Auto
Show.

The Detroit News reports that the Kia Ray Plug-in Hybrid concept was rolled out during a press conference this week and is the latest offering from the company’s global alternative fuel and powertrain research program:

The Kia Ray concept is a boldly styled four-seat compact sedan built on the Kia Forte platform that demonstrates a prospective plug-in hybrid configuration from Kia. It is designed with lightweight and recycled materials, and has hexagonal roof-top solar cells embedded in the glass roof panel to power extra lighting or climate control systems.

The Kia Ray is the fifth vehicle from the Irvine Calif.-based Kia Design Center America to be shown in the past year. The latest design from KDCA follows award-winning Kia vehicles Soul, Forte, Forte Koup and the all-new 2011 Sorento CUV.

Kia is offering an “EcoDynamics” sub-brand for its fuel-stretching and emissions-cutting technologies.

If anyone has a chance to go to this show (going on now through Feb. 21) and see this car first hand, let me know what you think.

The city of Santa Monica, CA is the first to receive the first light duty, all-electric Ford Ranger for use in its public works fleet. Santa Monica was selected due to its commitment to sustainability and will serve as a hub to highlight the benefits of electric vehicles including lower operational costs and a reduced carbon footprint. The Ford Ranger was converted from gas to electric by Santa Monica based Gas to Electric, Inc.

The success comes on the heels of a legal dispute between company President Paul Pearson who last year had legal action taken against him by the city for converting gas cars to electric without a license. All charges were dropped and today, the company is working with the city to further its sustainability initiatives.

“Santa Monica has shown not just the environmental benefits of green technology but the economic benefits as well,” said Pearson. “I’m confident that more cities will begin to emulate the model they’ve created. It’s a ‘win-win’ for everyone.”

According to Pearson, the converted Ford Ranger uses a standard AC wall outlet to charge and utilizes a low voltage system designed for the safety of fleet maintenance personnel and emergency responders. The vehicle retains all the original manufacturers’ safety equipment, such as ABS brakes, seatbelt sensors and fully functional airbags and the 35 mile range allows for a top speed of 55 mph. Pearson estimates the operational costs to be 2 – 3 cents per mile and as the motor has only 3 moving parts. Conversion is done with all American made parts and is funded in part with grants and numerous Local, State and Federal tax incentives.

Currently, the conversions only allow city use and limited freeway access making them well-suited for city Maintenance and Landscape Departments, Facilities and Parks and Recreation Departments.

Yesterday, I told you how electric vehicles were all the rage at this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan going on now through January 24th. Well, Ford’s Fusion hybrid is the toast of the town (and, really, the toast of the entire automotive world) as it has picked up the coveted Car of the Year award.

The Detroit Free Press has details:

Jurors stressed that the Fusion hybrid drove more like a “normal car” than many hybrids, but still had strong fuel efficiency.

“The Fusion completely raises the bar on hybrids,” said Krebs, noting the smooth transition from running on gas to electric power. The Fusion hybrid, already a strong Camry competitor, won drivers over with its 41 m.p.g. in city driving. The Fusion beat out the other finalists, the Volkswagen Golf and the Buick LaCrosse.

While the Fusion hybrid is winning the hearts of critics, it’s also winning over ordinary consumers. Ford Fusion sales … both gasoline and hybrids … were up more than 22 percent last year, with about one-fifth of those sales being hybrids.

Electric vehicles will be the big talk of this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan.

Design News says the event, which takes place over the next two weeks, will give more than 500,000 visitors the chance to see the latest and greatest in auto technology, including the green-powered ones.

One key for the giant exhibition, traditionally a showplace for production vehicles, is the addition of a 37,000-sq-ft display area called Electric Avenue. The new area will serve as an expo for 12 manufacturers of electric vehicles, ranging from traditional automakers, such as Nissan and Mitsubishi, to entrepreneurial firms, such as SSI Racing and Saba Motors. Electric Avenue will be sponsored by Dow Chemical Co., which is involved in the development of electric vehicle battery technology.

“It’s an excellent venue for the public to see some of the vehicles that you don’t normally hear about,” noted Bill Perkins, president of Detroit Auto Dealers Assn. (DADA).

The article goes on to say that Electric Avenue will be complemented this year by a display area known as EcoXperience, which will provide visitors with a look at the battery and electric motor technology that’s making its way into the auto industry.

Car makers put more stock in hybrid systems than biodiesel.

This post from CNET News says a survey conducted by KPMG asked 200 senior auto executives to rate the most important alternative fuel technologies to their industry over the next five years:

When asked to rate which were the most important alternative fuel technologies to the auto industry over the next five years, hybrid systems were ranked first followed by battery electric power, fuel cell electric power, and biodiesel, respectively.

“Automotive manufacturers are in the challenging position of being asked to compete on both technology and cost. With global consumers still feeling the pinch of the recession, those OEMs who can deliver on this equation will be in the driver’s seat,” Gary Silberg, national automotive industry leader for KPMG, said in a statement.

An interesting twist to the survey says that the execs believe that fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness are the top two biggest impacts on customers’ buying decisions … which are two of the biggest attributes of biodiesel. Go figure.

The University of South Carolina has launched an ambitious program that will convert all of its campus vehicles to biodiesel, ethanol and more green fuels.

This press release from the school says the “Genesis 2015 Initiative” will reduce the campus fleet’s carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent within five years:

The plan puts Carolina among the nation’s first campuses committed to reducing its dependence on petroleum by introducing alternative fuels to power the buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles and maintenance vehicles needed in the everyday life of the university…

Within five years, all vehicles on the Columbia campus will be powered by ethanol, biodiesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity or hydrogen fuel cells. A hydrogen hybrid bus will become part of the university’s shuttle service in January.

University officials say they already have 156 vehicles that can be converted to run on alternatives right away. The total carbon savings is expected to top 2,000 tons.

Oil-rich Texas is beginning to look like an alternative fuel paradise. Drivers in Texas will soon have more opportunities … thanks to new infrastructure … to run their electric vehicles.

Reliant Energy and Nissan Motor Company have announced that the two companies will work together to establish infrastructure, policies and services to support electric vehicle owners across Texas. The
Dallas Environmental Policy Examiner reports the move comes as the state has put into effect a new law that requires Texas government agencies to use alternative fuels in half of the state fleet of 27,000 vehicles 80 percent of the time:

“We can now see a clear path to having thousands – even hundreds of thousands – of zero-emission vehicles on Texas roads in the next several years”, said Jason Few, President of Reliant Energy. “By adding a robust charging network and services dedicated to electric vehicles, we will be able to offer a viable alternative to fossil-fuel powered transportation”.

“House Bill 432 addresses the fact that our state is a leader in the research and production of alternative fuels, but we lack the infrastructure to get drivers who would use it to fuel their vehicles”, Governor Perry said at a ceremonial bill signing in Dallas in August. “Since our state already spends money on a fleet, this bill requires it to include vehicles that use alternative fuel. That will drive the creation of a basic distribution infrastructure and take advantage of the fuels we produce in Texas, including natural gas coming from the Barnett Shale”.

This alternative energy kick seems to be a trend for Texas. As you might remember from my post on March 16, 2009, Dallas-based AT&T is putting 15,000 alternatively-fueled vehicles on the road… a $565 million venture aimed at helping the environment and saving the company gasoline costs. Part of AT&T’s plan includes building up to 40 new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations.

Americans want green energy choices, with the largest motivating factor for those choices being saving some greenbacks. And the top choices for that green-saving energy are solar and wind.

The latest Nielsen Company Energy Trends report shows that 80 percent of the 32,000 respondents polled cited cutting costs as their main motivation for conserving energy:

Overall, the study shows that many consumers have adopted more environmentally friendly habits, while others have not acted as quickly. “The current momentum surrounding green initiatives and reduced energy consumption presents utilities and home improvement companies with a golden opportunity,” says Jonathan Drost, Account Executive, Energy for The Nielsen Company. “When going green is cost effective, such as opting for Energy Star appliances or government incentive programs, customers migrate in that direction. The biggest hurdle for energy companies is educating the consumer on things like Smart Grids, Energy Efficiency programs and Renewable Green Energy.”

Renewable energy sources are at the heart of the emerging green economy, and if consumers have any say, solar would be their carbon neutral source of choice. “I believe solar came out on top as a preference because it is a technology that consumers can identify with,” Drost offers. “Not only can a consumer place solar panels on their home or purchase solar water heaters, but also they see retailers installing solar panels on their roof and hybrid cars with solar roof options. It’s been a media hot topic as well.”

The survey shows that 37 percent of respondents prefer solar power, and 16 percent want wind.

Only 3 percent of those households surveyed say they plan on buying a plug-in hybrid, but about one-fourth say they would purchase one once the technology became more widely used.

Nielsen officials say more consumer education is needed to bring in the next wave of renewable energy “early adopters.”