US Air Force to Test UQM-driven Electric Pickups

Source: Business Wire

[Sep 03, 2003]

The half-ton pickup truck is joining the ever-growing list of energy-efficient vehicles powered by UQM Technologies' patented electric propulsion technology, thanks to a $630,000 award from the U.S. Air Force.

The Frederick-based company -- which develops and manufactures power-dense, high-efficiency electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the automotive, aerospace, medical, military and industrial sectors -- won the Phase II, two-year contract to make a conventional pickup truck run entirely on electricity, according to Jon Lutz, UQM director of engineering. The Air Force will use the vehicles for ground support at its bases, he said.

The objective of the contract is to evaluate the truck, which will be optimized with current technologies, against similar electric vehicles that are operating with older technologies. Lutz said the company expects to overcome the range (how far the vehicle can go without a battery re-charge) and acceleration performance limitations inherent in those older technologies.

The contract, awarded under the Small Business Innovation Research Program, is an important development for UQM because it allows the company to showcase its patented electric propulsion technology in a new class of vehicles, according to Lutz.

"We expect that this demonstration contract, which includes the conversion of one vehicle, will lead to a number of follow-on vehicles that will be powered by UQM technology," he said.

"The war fighter needs to be able to perform their operations around the clock," he said. "Range and rapid charging allows them to keep the vehicles off the chargers and out on the ramp where they belong to support the aircraft."

And in July, the U.S. Navy awarded a $70,000 contract to UQM to evaluate the application of hybrid electric propulsion to small military boats.

This uptick in business from the military is good news for UQM, whose latest financial results reflect the fact that it sells to the technology, industrial and other hard-hit markets.

For the first quarter ended June 30, the company's revenues declined by 34 percent to $3.2 million. Its net loss from continuing operations dropped 5 percent to $390,000, according to Yahoo! Finance. The company's stock, which trades on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol UQM, closed at $3.42 on Aug. 27.

According to Mike Wall, an analyst with IRN Inc., a Michigan-based automotive forecasting firm, Toyota and Honda's combined sales of hybrid cars were just 22,000 in 2002, compared with overall car and light truck sales of 16.8 million -- which shows hybrid vehicles are "not exactly blowing the doors off," he said.

However, Lutz said the military is an eager participant in the development of hybrid electric propulsion systems because the cost of transporting fuel is so great. By the time the fuel is delivered to a vehicle on the battlefield, he said, it costs between $15 and $300 per gallon.

"The fuel savings of hybrid technology has real value," Lutz said. "And the military also has found that our technology provides better vehicle acceleration than traditional engine-driven vehicles, which shatters the myth that electric propulsion systems are inherently wimpy."

Source: The Nation

[Sep 03, 2003]

On the East Coast this week, gasoline prices hit an all-time high average of $1.69, according to the Energy Department; on the West Coast, drivers faced prices of $2.05. (The Energy Information Administration, which tracks prices, has a neat region-by-region breakdown here.)

There's no end of soothing explanations offered for skyrocketing gas prices, and assurances that they'll fall again in a few weeks.

But let's cut to the chase: Prices soar not because it's "the summer driving season," or because an Arizona pipeline breaks down, or a few refineries go without electricity for a few days. C'mon. Prices soar because -- as long-time automobile-and-oil-industry watchers like Public Citizen observe -- we've concentrated tremendous market-dictating power in just a handful of big oil companies, and we don't regulate them very well. We don't, for example, require them to keep minimal reserves or inventories on hand, which is what we demand of, for example, the electric power system.

Public Citizen thinks Congress should hold investigative hearings into the Labor Day weekend gas price hikes. The FTC's own schizophrenic reports suggest someone ought to step up and mind the store. Consider the FTC's March 2001 study into a spike in Midwest gasoline prices -- which found that everything was OK and above-board even though the price spike was partly driven by "conscious (but independent) choices by industry participants" to intentionally withhold supplies. (Which industry participants? FTC says that's secret. But I'll give you five guesses.)

So the oil majors regularly pull this wide-eyed act with us, and pronounce themselves dismayed that it's summer again, and people are driving cars, and paying the oil companies more than ever before, isn't it awful? And then, to keep things murky, they also throw in some mumbo-jumbo about how this truck full of oil got a flat tire in Utah, and then there were six unusually sunny days in a row, and Mars is closer to Earth than it's been in 60,000 years, and Bob lost the keys to the refinery storeroom.

The "energy bill" before Congress, by the way, does nothing to help with any of this -- not in regulating the oil companies, not in demanding fuel economy of cars. It does, however, find billions and billions more of your tax dollars to give away to already-wealthy Big Oil. Why? Because Congress can. Meanwhile, consider that in addition to the national average of $1.75 per gallon of gas, our military policing of the Middle East way back in peace-time days -- before the Iraq war -- was already costing us about $60 billion a year. Which worked out then to an additional $1.58 per gallon.

BY SETH HETTENA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted on Monday, September 1, 2003

SAN DIEGO — At a justopened San Diego fuel station, attendants in white, 1950s-style uniforms clean customers’ windshields and offer to fill their tanks with biodiesel made from fishfry grease.

Or, at the ethanol pump, fuel made from waste scraped off the floor of a cheese plant.

Electric cars can charge their batteries for free. There’s also natural gas and liquefied propane gas — or LPG — both popular, less-polluting gasoline alternatives. "No one has ever put all of these in one place," said Mike Lewis, the 37-year-old West Virginian who manages the Regional Transportation Center, which offers gas, diesel and six alternative fuels.

But so far, the station, which opened in early August, isn’t seeing a steady flow of customers for the exotic combustibles. The No. 1 fuel at the station of the future is plain old gas.

Still, gasoline and diesel sales pay the bills and leave the center well-positioned for California’s clean-vehicle movement aimed at fighting the nation’s worst air pollution while cutting dependence on oil. California has set a goal of having one of every 10 new vehicles sold in the state be nonpolluting by 2018. The "RTC," as the station’s signs label it, aims to solve one of the challenges posed by the mandate: Where do you fill ’er up? "You want these products to be marketed and sold just like gasoline," said Dan Fong, a transportation technology specialist with the California Energy Commission. "You don’t want to go to a dark corner in a barren location and get fuel for your vehicle."

The $15 million RTC was conceived more than five years ago by a Ford dealership marketing executive. Today, it includes a garage with mechanics special- izing in alternative-fuel vehicles and an education center. Pearson Ford, the dealership that bankrolled the center, sells Ford Motor Co. ’s line of alternative-fuel vehicles beneath an adjacent structure.

The project helps solve what Lewis calls the chicken-and-egg problem for alternative vehicles — should alternative-fuel stations spur sales of the vehicles or vehicles sales lead to more alternative-fuel pumps?

With the RTC, he said, "We built the chicken and the egg. In this area, we’re taking away the excuses."

Alternative fuel stations are hard to come by. LPG, the most common gas alternative in California, is often found at welding supply stores, propane supply houses, U-Haul depots and a handful of gas stations. When it comes to natural gas, there are 110 stations open to the public in California, and only three in San Diego County, according to Mike Eaves of the California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition. "We’re fighting the 900-pound gorilla that’s on all the street corners," he said.

Consumers are creatures of habit, and it’s difficult to beat the ease or convenience of the nation’s vast network of gasoline stations. Last year, Californians used about 15 billion gallons of gasoline, more than a tenth of total U.S. demand. While drivers grumble about prices, a gallon of gas in 2002 cost less on average than it did 20 years earlier, when adjusted for inflation.

Low gas prices have discouraged the market for alternative vehicles, experts say.

Only about 67,500 out of 25 million registered vehicles in California used alternative fuels at the beginning of the decade, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Most are service vehicles used around airports, in local bus fleets or business, such as LPGpowered vehicles that deliver the Los Angeles Times.

Also confusing the issue are the variety of alternative-fuel choices. California’s Air Resources Board, which imposed the zeroemissions mandate in 1990, is debating what should power the nonpolluting cars of tomorrow. The board initially favored battery-powered cars but now likes the future of hydrogen fuel cells. But hurdles remain, namely high costs and concerns about distribution.

Rather than try to pick the fuel of the future, the Regional Transportation Center decided to offer as many as possible until a clear winner emerges.

One customer, Derek Applebaum, pulled into the center recently in his old gas-powered Dodge pickup. "It’s incredible that somebody’s even doing it," Applebaum said. "Everybody’s so afraid to take a chance like this, especially when you’ve got the influence of oil companies."

A week later, he returned to buy a Ford Explorer that runs on ethanol or gasoline. "I want to do my part for clean air and get off the Middle East oil dependence," said Applebaum, a 41-yearold bar owner who lives nearby. "The best thing I can do in my circle is buy an alternative-fuel vehicle." "I guess I am their dream customer," he said.
http://www.carpages.co.uk/toyota/toyota_cs&s_hybrid_powered_sports_car_concept_part_1_01_09_03.asp?v=1

CS&S Hybrid Powered Sports Car Concept - Part One

Introducing The Toyota CS&S Concept

The Frankfurt Motor Show will be the venue for the world premiere of the Toyota CS&S (Compact Sports & Specialty), a 2+2 open-top sports car which, in terms of size, falls between the current Celica and MR2 models. The car is powered by Toyota’s advanced Hybrid Synergy Drive system, combining a mid-mounted 1.5-litre petrol unit that drives the rear wheels with a powerful electric motor to drive the front wheels.

CS&S proves that hybrid technology is not just eco-friendly, it can also provide a dynamic and highly enjoyable driving experience. Four-wheel drive and excellent acceleration from the electric motor’s high torque underpin the car’s sporting character, while the Hybrid Synergy Drive system delivers benefits in fuel economy and clean running. oyota’s aim in developing the Hybrid Synergy Drive concept is to create more powerful petrol and electric power sources in order to achieve higher levels of performance. Conventional hybrid systems rely on a petrol or diesel engine to produce peak performance, and utilise an electric motor as an ancillary. The Hybrid Synergy Drive system, also used in the new Prius, incorporates a much more powerful electric motor, which means the car relies less on the petrol engine, even when extra performance is needed, as when accelerating or travelling uphill. As the electric motor is much more efficient than the petrol unit, this means better fuel economy, too.

Advanced design concept

CS&S is a new concept in sports car design, displaying styling cues developed by Toyota’s ED2 studio in the South of France. In this way it provides pointers to Toyota’s design philosophy for future cars for the European market.

Overall, the styling uses clear contrasts, between sharp, angular lines and fluid curves and arches. This is reflected in the interior, too, with arched front compartments that define the separate space for driver and passenger and express the car’s sporting character.

At first glance, CS&S looks like a two-seater. In fact, removable rear canopies conceal a further two seats, making it a true 2+2 sports car. In a further innovative touch that boosts security, the front passenger seat has been designed in such a way that it can be adapted to form a cover for the cockpit area.

Toyota Space Touch - A revolutionary new human-machine interface

The CS&S incorporates a radical new IT concept – Toyota Space Touch. This is an integrated multi-function system that breaks new ground in terms of human-machine interface technology. It is operated by means of a series of holographic projections that the driver ‘touches’ to make a selection.

Spheres appear to float in space, but when touched they allow the user to control the air conditioning, audio, satellite navigation or even Internet connections. It is simple and intuitive to use, yet involves the application of cutting edge technology. European Show Debut For New Prius

The new generation Toyota Prius will be formally introduced to the European public at Frankfurt, following the car’s world debut in Detroit at the beginning of the year and its appearance as an official car at the World Athletics Championships in Paris in August.

As well as being the most technologically advanced car on the market, the Prius also offers a radical and intelligent design, combining the distinctive qualities of a saloon, and the versatility of an estate car in a practical five-door hatchback. Aerodynamics play a significant role in improving fuel economy, the Prius having a class leading coefficient of drag of 0.26. The Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain enables nought to 62mph acceleration in less than 11 seconds and more than 65mpg in combined cycle driving. The Prius is exceptionally clean, too, producing nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbon emissions 88.8 per cent below Euro IV standards.

The pioneering technology deployed in the new Prius includes the world’s first fully electric active safety package, including a by-wire braking system and the first application of an electric inverter air conditioning system with humidity sensor. UK sales are scheduled to begin in early 2004.

www.registerguard.com | © The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon

September 19, 2003

Religious leaders urge state to use fuel-efficient cars

By Sarah Linn

The Associated Press

SALEM - Religious leaders from across Oregon have asked state officials to replace more than 11,000 state vehicles with more fuel-efficient models.

A report commissioned by the Oregon Interfaith Global Warming Campaign said doing so would reduce the fleet's greenhouse gas emissions by 69,582 tons and save $1.3 million over the next 10 years.

Energy conservation was the focus of an interfaith summit Thursday in Salem, sponsored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, an association of 17 Christian denominations, and the Northwest Jewish Environmental Project.

The conference also tackled changing climates, public energy policy, the United States' reliance on fossil fuels and the health risks associated with pollution.

Church leaders said people of faith should lead the effort to prevent global warming and the irresponsible use of resources.

The message in scripture is to take care of (the Earth) as God takes care of us and love it as God loves us,'' said the Rev. Mark Knutson, pastor of the Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland.

That message had been lost through time, Rabbi Yitzak Husbands-Hankins said, as faith communities concentrated on dominating the Earth instead of stewarding it.

I think somehow a 'Cliffs Notes' version of the Bible got out,'' he said with a laugh.

Now people of faith are returning to their ecological roots, said Husbands-Hankins, who leads Temple Beth Israel in Eugene. Efforts throughout Oregon include educating congregations about environmental issues, reusing supplies and promoting renewable energy programs, he said.

Church groups are also taking an increasingly active role in determining public policy, said Douglas Grace, director of the Interfaith Energy and Climate Change Campaign. Based in Washington, D.C., the national organization works with religious groups in 21 states, including Oregon.

Past projects include the evangelical

What Would Jesus Drive?'' campaign, which encouraged people to think twice when buying gas-guzzling vehicles, Grace said. The organization also confronted Detroit automakers about fuel efficiency, and went to Congress to oppose drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Government leaders say they're people of faith,'' Grace said.

Some industry leaders are people of faith. Let's hold them accountable to that.''
http://www.evworld.com/databases/shownews.cfm?pageid=news200903-04

AC Propulsion Enters Two EVs in Challenge Bibendum

Cars feature vehicle-to-grid charging capability

Source: AC Propulsion

[Sep 20, 2003]

AC Propulsion, Inc. will drive two cars to compete in the 2003 Challenge Bibendum organized and hosted by Michelin.

Both AC Propulsion entries can plug in for battery charging. Besides reducing emissions, they can reduce the use of imported petroleum by substituting readily available, secure, and domestically produced electricity from the grid. Major automakers no longer produce automobiles for the US market that can plug in to the grid.

To demonstrate the real world readiness of the two cars, Alan Cocconi and Tom Gage, AC Propulsion Chairman and President respectively will drive them 500 miles from AC Propulsion headquarters in San Dimas, California to the Challenge Bibendum test track in Sonoma, California.

The two AC Propulsion prototypes include:

The AC Propulsion tzero electric sports car – The tzero has set the standard for EVperformance since 1997. The new super LIght versION uses lithium-ion batteries to reduce weight and increase range. The LiIon tzero sets new standards: 300 mile range on a single charge, 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, and 100 mph top speed.

The AC Propulsion Tri-Fuel Hybrid – The Tri-Fuel Hybrid uses only electric propulsion to drive the wheels. A lead-acid battery provides 30 to 40 miles of all-electric range and can be recharged in less than an hour by the onboard 20 kW charger plugged into grid electricity – the first fuel. An onboard low-emission engine-powered generator can sustain battery charge on long trips giving range unconstrained except to stop for gasoline – the second fuel. When the vehicle is parked and plugged in, the generator can send its output back into the grid through the unique

AC Propulsion Reductive bi-directional grid interface. To avoid depletion of the gasoline and reduce tailpipe and refueling emissions, in this stationary mode the generator can operate on low-pressure natural gas piped in from the gas main -- the third fuel.

http://www.mackinac.org/article.asp?ID=5764

A Victory for the Gas-Powered Engine

Ending years of legal acrimony, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Detroit’s automakers have agreed that manufacturers must sell a certain number of non-polluting vehicles in the Golden State. The news was hailed by CARB, environmentalists and the press as a victory for Big Government. "The Bush administration has been talking about a fuel-cell vision; California is actually delivering on one," thrilled Jason Mark of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

In truth, however, the settlement is a victory for the gasoline-powered engine.

CARB, California’s environmental regulatory body, has since 1990 sought to force automakers to build alternate-fuel, zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). By this year, CARB had decreed, 10 percent of vehicle sales must be battery-powered electric cars or hydrogen-fueled vehicles. The edict, however, ran smack in the face of engineering realities. Despite billions of dollars devoted to research, neither technology has proved affordable and neither will soon (if ever) sell anywhere near 10 percent of all vehicles.

To get around this problem, CARB has relented on a key concession to automakers: It has agreed that "hybrid" and so-called "P-ZEV" engines (the "P" stands for "partial") can qualify as zero-emission vehicles. Both technologies rely on the gasoline-powered combustion engine.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to most Americans because it is caricatured in the press as a pollution-spewing behemoth, the internal combustion engine has quietly evolved into a clean and efficient engineering marvel.

And Detroit manufacturers aren’t far behind. At this year’s Los Angeles auto show, Ford introduced a low-emission P-ZEV engine for all its Focus models. The 2.2-liter, four-cylinder engine has more power and lower emissions than the standard 2.0-liter engine, Ford says. Though the technology will be slightly more expensive than the 2-liter, the cost differential will not amount to the exorbitant $3000-$7000 difference between gas-electric hybrids and gas-powered cars.

"We don't agree with mandated approaches to automotive technology, but the 2003 regulation might have the flexibility we've been asking for," says GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss. In other words, automakers can make an educated, economic bet that P-ZEVs, with an assist from gas-electric hybrids and assorted credits accumulated from golf cart sales and alternative-fuel research, will easily account for 10 percent of vehicle sales in California and probably the Northeast, where the mandates will be in place, within the next decade. J.D. Power, an automotive research firm, has predicted that hybrids alone will reach 5 percent of total national auto sales by 2008.

Environmentalists have been cool toward the P-ZEV advances for good reason: It threatens to rob them of their favorite villain, the internal combustion engine. In fact, the CARB agreement is a tacit acceptance that, despite the media trumpets, no alternative-fuel revolution is in the offing. The existing gasoline engine will do very nicely, thank you.

That may be bad news for environmentalists and their press allies who want to force-feed consumers green technology, but it is good news for a public that likes its transportation powerful, clean and affordable.

Henry Payne is a free-lance writer and editorial cartoonist for the Detroit News . This commentary was originally published on Aug. 26 by the Reason Public Policy Institute .