Expedite clean fuel transportation

I will direct the California Energy Commission and California Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that California's fuel marketplace offers producers and consumers a real choice of fuels that are more plentiful, cost-effective and at the same time reduce harmful pollutants and greenhouse gasses. Fuel choices should include compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), ethanol, hydrogen, electric, low-sulfur and non-petroleum diesel blends.

Protect California's air quality standards for industrial facilities

I will direct the Air Resources Board to examine the impact of the federal decision to exempt new sources of industrial air pollution from "new source review". Encouraging new investment in California's industrial facilities should result in greater protection of workers and families in adjacent neighborhoods.

Relieve Traffic Congestion

I will seek to implement innovative, market-based and means of reducing congestion on California's highways - including congestion pricing, eliminating congestion-causing toll booths when they can easily be replaced by technology, and similar measures.

2. Protect California's Rivers, Bays, and Coastline

California is identified for its beaches and magnificent coastline more than any other single feature. Tourism contributes $75 billion to California's economy, and employs over 1 million Californians. As Governor, I will protect California's coastline by fighting for a permanent ban on all oil drilling in coastal waters and will urge the federal government to purchase the remaining offshore oil leases as it has in Florida.

Reduce Ocean Pollution. I will take action to protect our coasts from sewage and storm water pollution. I will direct state agencies to incorporate pollution-free coastal development techniques, accelerate the repair of leaking sewer systems, and fully implement existing water quality programs, such as municipal storm water permit programs and Total Maximum Daily Load programs. California must handle and treat its sewage under the requirements of the Clean Water Act to protect our oceans and beaches and the people who use them.

Protect Drinking Water. 22 million Californians rely on the San Francisco Bay Delta for the quality of their drinking water. Sacramento's lack of leadership in supporting state and federal cooperation on Delta water management (CAL-FED) has resulted in Congress not funding the CAL-FED program. As Governor, I will urge the Congress to fully restore CAL-FED funding immediately. With proper leadership and resources, CAL-FED can implement the most effective ways of making the best use of our water supplies and encouraging economic growth in California. This will include increased conservation efforts among both urban and agricultural users, and the use of market-based mechanisms to create environmental gains in streams for fish and economic gains for farmers, municipal and industrial users.

Our streams, rivers, lakes, and bays can be better protected through the use of watershed management. As Governor, I will direct Cal/EPA and the Resources Agency to completely overhaul their recent "California Watershed Management MOU" from a bureaucratic do-nothing document to an action plan that will clean up California's most endangered watersheds now. Emphasis will be placed on practical strategies to finance these initiatives using state or private revolving loan funds and seeking California's fair share of federal funding, and making sure that existing permitting fees are targeted toward resource management so that they benefit the environment--not bureaucrats.

Protect the Integrity of our Coasts. I will protect the integrity of the California Coastal Commission, which for decades has served to protect our valuable coastal resources. I will not allow the type of political interference in Coastal Commission decisions that has characterized the current Davis Administration, where special favors were granted in return for campaign contributions, even while the Administration was pledging to protect the coast.

Keep Tahoe Blue. Lake Tahoe is one of California's most precious assets. Since 1970, population in the Tahoe Basin has more than doubled, but our environmental protections have not kept pace. The Environmental Improvement Plan for Lake Tahoe implemented in 1998 by California, Nevada, federal agencies, local governments, Indian tribes and community groups to improve Lake Tahoe's clarity has not been updated for five years. As Governor, I will take action to update the plan to accelerate improvement of Tahoe's waters, trails and wildlife, in order to "Keep Tahoe Blue."

3. Solve California's Electrical Energy Crisis.

An unreliable energy system discourages businesses from locating or even remaining in California, resulting in lost jobs and state revenues, I will take action to prevent brownouts or blackouts, such as those experienced during the Davis Administration in California and this year on the East Coast. Almost one third of California's entire in-state generation base is over 40 years old. I will immediately lay the groundwork to expand the state's power supplies, with special emphasis on clean, renewable sources, through the following steps:

Promote Solar and Renewables. Increase California's use of solar power in cooperation with developers, the Building Industry Association, labor, community organizations, and bi-partisan state legislators to provide incentives for new homes built in California to include solar photovoltaics (PV). The goal of this program would be that, starting in 2005, 50% of new homes would include solar PV. As Governor I will also support the extension of tax credits for businesses and commercial establishments which install on-grid solar photovoltaic and other renewable generation systems.

Increase the Reliability of the Grid. I will work to improve the reliability of the electric grid serving the western United States to prevent the type of blackouts which plagued the eastern United States and Canada during the summer of 2003. I will call for a summit to bring together the state's utilities, contractors, and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) with the Federal government and other states and regional energy interests to strengthen the grid reliability. Investments should be consistent with the CAISO's annual transmission plan and should evaluate demand, transmission, and generation alternatives.

Save Energy Through Green Buildings

A host of case studies demonstrate that retrofitting commercial buildings with energy-saving lighting and other technologies is repaid in five years or less based on electricity savings. Incentives will be established, including a Green Building Bank, using private financing and targeted public loan guarantees, to swiftly retrofit as many buildings as possible, reducing the need for new power plants, saving money for businesses and taxpayers alike, and preserving air quality. The Green Building Bank will also help finance the addition of solar PV on large flat rooftops, repaid over time by the value of the new energy generated.

Increase Renewable Energy. As Governor, I will fully endorse California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires that 20% of the state's total power supplies be generated from renewable sources by 2017. My Administration will also direct the California Energy Commission to define incentives and implement strategies that will target achievement of the 20% standard a full seven years early - - by 2010 - - and set the state on course to derive 33% of its power from renewable sources by 2020.

4. Protect and Restore California's Parks and Open Spaces

Many California families vacation within driving distance, often camping at state parks and beaches. State parks, beaches and trails also generate significant economic activity and tax revenue as a result of fees and other spending in adjacent areas. There is general agreement that park maintenance has been allowed to deteriorate. Improve Our Parks, With Special Emphasis on Access for Seniors and the Disabled.

I will order the Resources Agency to develop a comprehensive facility assessment and improvement plan for state parks, beaches, and coastal access, with emphasis placed on investments that enhance local economies and access for California's seniors and the disabled.

Much of the initial investment for these improvements can come from already approved bond measures, but plans will also be developed to find additional ways to support this important initiative through careful public and private investment.

Protect the Sierra Nevada. A decade of hard work by a broad variety of stakeholders resulted in the Sierra Nevada Framework, a policy document that has been widely hailed as a model of forest ecosystem resource protection. As Governor, I will direct all relevant state agencies to comply fully with the Framework and call on the federal government to honor its pledge to abide by the policies set forth in this unprecedented compact.

The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is one of the state's crown jewels. Yet, unlike many of California's other natural treasures, it has no conservancy. As Governor I will propose establishment of a Sierra Nevada Mountains Conservancy.

5. Restore Our Urban Environments.

There is currently no effective, widely used mechanism for identifying vacant or underutilized sites in urban areas to evaluate their potential for infill redevelopment. The result is fiscally unsustainable sprawl, traffic congestion on commuter roadways, air pollution, pressure to consume scarce infrastructure resources, and loss of valuable open space. Working with local officials, my Administration will develop an Infill Incentives Package to help local governments deal with the jobs/housing imbalance throughout the State and to spur smarter development by providing a mechanism for planners to identify and evaluate redevelopment of blighted and underutilized sites, allowing cities to accommodate mixed use, compact development and urban infill growth while curtailing urban sprawl.

Address Brownfield Sites. In addition, my Administration will direct appropriate agencies to draft a plan to rapidly complete the cleanup of brownfield sites, especially the thousands of locations with leaking underground petroleum storage tanks, enabling these sites to be developed for productive commercial uses.

Improve Mass Transit. In many locales, strategic improvements or additions to bus, light rail, and subway lines can result in much greater use of existing mass transit, reducing highway congestion and air pollution. As Governor, I will ask the federal government to restore to California its fair share of gasoline tax money generated in the state, along with other federal funds, to assist with critical mass transit improvements.

Focus on Children's Health. Children suffer disproportionate impacts of dirty air, water, and dilapidated urban parks. Cal/EPA and the state Parks Department will be directed to submit an inventory of projects that will immediately improve air quality along freeways adjacent to residential areas, improve aging plumbing in inner-city neighborhoods (that now cause contamination of drinking water for families), and improve parks in neighborhoods with less than two acres of parks per 1,000 residents. Agencies managing recently approved water and park bond funds will be directed to give priorities to these projects. Special emphasis will be placed on projects that measurably reduce childhood asthma by improving both indoor and outdoor air quality.

6. Protect California's Environment Through Tough Enforcement of Existing Laws

Strict law enforcement is vital to assure environmental protection, prevent polluters from achieving unfair competitive advantage against complying competitors, send a message of public values, and establish conditions conducive to creativity and participation in voluntary initiatives.

My Administration will focus on keeping underlying statutes and regulations simple; simple rules are easiest to follow and comply with; unnecessarily complex rules are hard to comply with, hard to enforce, and encourage evasion. Particular attention will be given to better use of information technologies with strict, clear and rapid penalties for intentional or negligent misstatements or omissions

Government should be held accountable for environmental protection to the same extent as private parties and should be held to the same enforcement standards. To greatest possible extent, environmental enforcement settlements should be used to provide direct environmental improvement through supervised projects, rather than having all penalties go to government treasuries.

By Heinrich Holinger

The Renault Kangoo Electric is the only roomy, five-seat, family-sized electric vehicle on the European market. Add to this the optional "range extender" with its "emergency power supply" and you have an excellent vehicle for transporting people and goods over short and medium range daily driving chores.

This report covers our first five months and 10,000 miles of service.

First, let me describe the range extender. It is a small petrol engine (with catalyst) that produces approximately 10 KW electrical at a fixed number of revolutions. While this doesn't seem like a lot of power, with practice it is possible to drive the Kangoo on the 10kW output of the engine alone, minimizing the power drain on the battery. The tiny nine liter fuel tank is sufficient to take the car 200 km. The driver can select whether or not to use the range extender, a feature not offered any production electric vehicle. However, it's not possible to recharge the vehicle while its standing still using the RE engine.

The big advantage of the RE option is that it reduces the stress of the novice electric vehicle drivers who worry about running out of battery power. Although a warning light will come on when the pack reaches 10 percent SOC (state-of-charge), we've found that it is rarely needed in daily operation where most of our trips are between 60-80 km, well within the range of the battery-only mode. With careful driving, the Kangoo will consume only 25kWh/100km. Digital displays indicate remaining kilometers available at present power levels, as well as showing current consumption in kW/100kM.

That being said, if you choose to run the RE engine all the time, the fuel economy drops to a disappointing 7liters/100km. However, we have found that we need to use it only 10% of the time in which case economy improves to a much more responsible 3liters/100km.

One of the benefits of the RE engine is that it can be used to supplement the Kangoo's electric heat in winter. A nice feature is the ability to program the car to preheat during the winter, as long as it is plugged in. The on board 3.5kW charger enables the car to recharge from 0 to 95% SOC in just 4 hours. The charger also has a 2kW charge mode for smaller 10 amp circuits, however charging takes appreciably longer. [Note: normal household currents in Europe are 220 volts at 50 cycles compared to 120 volts at 60 cycles (Herz) in North America.] Renault has incorporated a "drive-off protection" system that prevents the car from moving while it is still plugged into the charger.

The first surprise after taking delivery from the Renault dealer in St-Louis is the speed of the RH model. The vehicle will do 120km/hr, nearly 20km/hr above the advertised speed in the dealer brochure, in part because of an "overdrive" system that aids acceleration and driving in snow, something we know a lot about here in Switzerland. In fact, it seems there are so many added features in this vehicle, that it appears that Renault technicians inserted more than their sales staff realized.

As would be expected, the Kangoo makes use of regenerative braking (Rekuperation) to help recapture some of the vehicle's kinetic energy, which is used to recharge the air-cooled, NiCad batteries. Despite the deadly heat wave of the summer of the 2003 in Europe, the car performed well. However, the batteries must be periodically watered every 5,000 kilometers. A warning light will come on saying it is time to refill the batteries and remain on until the car is taken into the dealership.

The Kangoo EV drives much like a car with an automatic transmission. Remove your foot from the brake and the car will begin to roll forward. Having driven electric cars for many years, it was a pleasure to find a highly-effective park gear. In most EVs you have to rely on the emergency brake only when parking on a steep inclines. I also enjoy being able to put the car in Neutral to bypass engagement of the regenerative braking system on easy downward gradients.

We very much enjoy the car's many storage bins and shelves. In addition, the rear seat -- which is a 1/3-2/3 split -- can be laid down to accommodate loads up to 100 kilograms. Now we can consider packing our tent and inflatable boat for a camping trip to the Adriatic or perhaps a drive up to Sweden.

The Kangoo offers the same level of safety and security as a conventional car including standard airbags, seatbelts and head restraints for all the passengers (side airbags are option). The vehicle is also offered also as 2 place delivery van. Both versions meet Switzerland's A24 zero emissions code.

While the operational manual for the car is available only in French, it is very detailed and written specifically for the electric version of the Kangoo; it is not simply a amended version of the gasoline car's manual. In order to save weight and space, Renault has replaced the spare tire with a spray can of emergency inflation sealant.

The Kangoo easily offers us the best value for everyday driving use. While we do use grid power to recharge the Kangoo at night, during the day our apartment building's solar panels [see photo album links at beginning of article], we are very close to producing no CO2 at all. Our new office building, which we call WATTWERK , will enable us to meet all our electric power needs and charge the Kangoo, making us completely CO2 neutral. That will be a very good feeling.
http://www.missouri.edu/~news/releases/suppesalternativefuel.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/10/031015031752.htm

COLUMBIA ,Mo. –Recently, Toyota Motor Corp opened the production site of its gasoline-electric hybrid cars to journalists for the first time. Many leading auto makers have questioned the benefit of developing these vehicles, arguing they are just a temporary solution before zero-emission fuel cell vehicles are the standard 20 years from now.

However, a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia discovered that the development of a plug-in fuel cell hybrid, with as little as 20 miles of range from rechargeable hydrogen, could cut the amount of gasoline consumed in the United States by more than 50 percent. In addition, this technology could be mass produced in the next five years.

“About 47 percent of all miles put on vehicles in a day are within the first 20 miles of travel,” said Galen Suppes, associate professor of chemical engineering at MU. “Furthermore, about 50 percent of the vehicles travel 20 miles or less per day, and this 20 mile distance is usually in inner-city travel where fuel economy for conventional internal combustion engines is poor and emissions have their greatest adverse affects.”

The plug-in hybrid is a modified version of the hybrid vehicle, which uses electric motors and battery packs to improve fuel efficiency. The plug-in contains a secondary power source, larger than the standard hybrid, which can be recharged using electricity while parked at home. Suppes says that by replacing vehicular fuel consumption with electricity, there will be a drop in fuel emissions and less demand for gasoline. If the vehicles were charged at night, according to Suppes, they would not add to the burden on the nation’s electrical power grid.

The fuel cell hybrid provides an additional degree of freedom with the plug-in option, Suppes found. The electricity could be used to recharge batteries or to hydrolyze water to hydrogen for use with the fuel cell. In the hydrogen storage option, fuel cells are used to generate hydrogen and oxygen which are stored in compressed tanks. This configuration, Suppes says, can reduce the amount of secondary source battery storage since pure hydrogen can power the fuel cells.

“At less than $1,000 in incremental costs to today’s standard hybrid vehicle, this is a good option today and a great option for tomorrow’s fuel cell hybrid vehicles,” Suppes said. “The plug-in fuel cell hybrid is a great transition technology toward a hydrogen infrastructure.”

Suppes’ research on the plug-in fuel cell hybrid was recently published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. He and his colleague, Truman Storvick, professor emeritus of chemical engineering at MU, recently developed an online book, “Energy Disclosed: Abundant Resources and Unused Technology,” which can be viewed at www.missouri.edu/~suppesg/book.htm .

OCTOBER 27, 2003

NEWS: ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY

"Detroit Is Missing The Boat"

Demand for hybrids is rising, but the Big Three are slow to get on board

Every decade or so, IT seems, a major new segment opens up in the U.S. auto market. Although Detroit has had its successes -- pioneering minivans in the 1980s and SUVs in the early 1990s -- other times, it is nowhere to be found. In the 1980s, it didn't see the move to small, high-quality cars such as the Honda ( HMC ) Civic. Then, in the late '90s, it missed a turn as Japan developed carlike SUVs such as Toyota's ( TM ) RAV4. Such miscalculations go a long way toward explaining Detroit's loss of U.S. market share, from 84% in 1978 to 61.6% today.

Now you can add hybrid gas-electric vehicles to that dubious roster. Ford's ( F) hybrid Escape, the first domestic vehicle to sport the high-mileage hybrid technology -- and the first hybrid SUV, period -- was due out this year. But problems perfecting the battery and software have delayed its debut until late next summer. As for its Motown rivals, GM ( GM ) is giving hybrids short shrift while betting on the eventual benefits of hydrogen-powered cars. And DaimlerChrysler's ( DCX ) cash-strapped Chrysler Group killed plans for a hybrid Durango SUV in mid-2002. Instead, it is counting on improved diesel engines. Both GM and Chrysler are more than a year away from introducing "mild" hybrid trucks, where an electric motor provides a smaller mileage boost. Says Mark Rikess, CEO of consultants Rikess Group in Burbank, Calif.: "Detroit is missing the boat."

Japanese carmakers, on the other hand, already have shipped their second wave of hybrids. An impressive follow-on to Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius went on sale on Oct. 17. It's larger than the first Prius, and at $20,000 has booked strong advance sales. Honda Motor Co. is offering a hybrid version of its popular Civic. And Toyota's Lexus Div. will race Ford to market next summer with a hybrid SUV, the RX400H. If Toyota can build a mainstream following for the Prius and its hybrid RX400H -- and turn a profit -- it will hold a commanding lead in hybrid technology. "If Toyota succeeds," says a hybrid expert at a rival, "they're going to have a 10- to 15-year head start."

BUILDING BLOCK

So far, it's easy to see hybrids as a mere niche in the U.S. High costs and limited selection kept sales to 38,000 last year, out of 16.8 million total vehicle sales. Partly that's because consumers are still confused about the technology, in which a computer coordinates a gas engine with a battery-powered electric motor. But hybrids, which lower pollution and improve gas mileage, are growing in popularity. Ford CEO William C. Ford Jr. has said they could be 75% of the market in 25 years. J.D. Power & Associates Inc. is more circumspect, estimating sales of 500,000 within five years as hybrid systems are offered in already popular vehicles.

That still seems small -- until you consider that the technology needed for hybrids is a crucial building block in what just about everyone in the auto industry agrees is the ultimate goal: highly efficient hydrogen fuel-cell cars. Most auto experts think that fuel cells, which convert hydrogen to electricity to propel a car, will begin to replace gas-powered engines in 15 to 20 years. In the meantime, Toyota, Honda, and Ford hope to hone their electric-motor expertise through hybrids. Says Prabhakar Patil, Ford's chief engineer for hybrid technology: "Everything we do to make hybrids more efficient and affordable will translate directly into fuel-cell technology."

GM, however, believes it can bring fuel-cell cars to market by 2010. It's plowing more than $100 million a year into doing it. GM CEO G. Richard Wagoner Jr. argues that hybrids are too costly to sell at a profit and appeal to a small number of buyers. But critics say GM is setting itself up for a broad knowledge gap by leapfrogging over hybrids -- not to mention missing a major sales opportunity if hybrids take off. Says Jim Hall, vice-president of AutoPacific consultants: "It's really dangerous to assume that there will be only one technology in future cars."

Motown has only its love of big trucks to blame for being left behind in hybrids. While the Japanese were pioneering the technology in the mid-'90s -- largely in response to gas prices three times higher at home than in the U.S. -- Detroit was developing big pickups and SUVs. Those gas-guzzlers generated huge profits in ensuing years. With Washington reluctant to tighten fuel economy standards, there was little incentive to develop more efficient vehicles.

Detroit based much of its initial skepticism on the price differential of the first hybrids. Toyota faced a $10,000 loss on each original Prius. Yet it persevered, starting small in Japan, refining the technology, squeezing out costs, and licensing the system to others. Now Toyota says it has recovered its initial R&D investment and claims it will eventually turn a profit on the 36,000 Priuses it plans to sell annually in the U.S.

COSTLY DELAY

The exception to American skepticism has been Ford Motor Co. Led by CEO Ford, a dedicated environmentalist, the company announced in mid-2000 that the hybrid Escape, getting 40 mpg in city driving, would be the leading edge of a greener lineup. The company says it will follow with a hybrid version of its Futura sedan. But taming the technology has proven harder than expected. Says Ford: "As with any new technology, there have been challenges."

By the time the U.S. hybrids arrive, they may get shown up by Japan's third-generation vehicles. Toyota is keeping the RX's new technology under wraps, but its new Prius shows how a follow-up model can improve. Toyota boosted the $20,000 Prius' fuel economy by 15%, to 55 mpg, and cut emissions by 30% -- even as the car has grown.

The delay in the Escape already has been costly for Ford: It was one reason Bill Ford had to renege on a promise to boost SUV fuel economy by 25% by 2005. Yet despite the long-term stakes, some Ford execs don't think the financially struggling company should be competing in hybrids. Says a source close to Ford: "The majority of the country doesn't give a damn" about hybrids. CEO Ford vows to forge onward, though: "For an auto company with a global presence, you have to be involved in all areas of future engine technology."

But the world may not wait for U.S. carmakers. Detroit is once again playing catch-up in its race with Japan. That the exhaust it's sucking this time is so clean makes it all the more painful.

By Kathleen Kerwin, with David Welch, in Detroit
http://www.businessweek.com/print/premium/content/03_43/b3855073.htm?tc

OCTOBER 27, 2003

NEWS: ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY