Clean Motion November 2008
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November 2008 Clean Motion covers stories that highlight opportunities and challenges across transportation sector to reduce oil consumption, cut carbon emissions, and improve air quality. |
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Electric Drive Transportation Association Conference and Exposition - December 2-4, Washington, DC Convention Center Join EDTA, its members, sponsors and supporting organizations in the premier industry event that facilitates an open forum for research and development of electric drive including: battery, plug-in, hybrid, and fuel cell. With over 40 exhibitors, a Ride & Drive, and a diverse speaker list, the EDTA Conference & Exposition is shaping the future of secure, clean, and efficient electric drive transportation. Sessions will include Breakthroughs in Energy Storage; Renewables on the Road: Greening the Grid and the Highway with Plug-in Electric Drive; Action on Energy in the 111th Congress – Views from the Hill; When Can I Buy One? Automotive Manufacturers Answer the Pressing Plug-in Electric Drive Question; Next Generation Hybrids: Raising the Bar; Beyond Cars: Electric Drive at Work Today; Advanced Components: Batteries and Beyond; Advanced Components: The Keys to a New Transportation Sector; Fuel Cell Electric Drive: Pushing toward the Zero-Emission Solution; and Fuel Cell Electric Drive: Dynamic Infrastructure Solutions. This event is sponsored by Coulomb Technologies, Dow Corning Automotive Solutions, Duke Energy, Edison Electric Institute, EnerDel, General Motors, Global Electric Motorcars, Miles Electric Vehicles, New York Power Authority, Southern California Edison, and Toyota. Visit www.edtaconference.com to register or see the full agenda and exhibitor list. If you have any questions, email info@electricdrive.org. Give Us Your Feedback--What Do You Want To See in Clean Motion? |
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Amidst Financial Turmoil, GM Presses On With Volt, Chooses Battery Maker As Detroit automakers navigate difficult financial and economic conditions, General Motors (GM) is pressing ahead with production of its “range-extended” electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt. GM has decided to work with Compact Power Inc. (CPI), a Detroit-based unit of South Korea’s LG Chem, to provide the battery systems for the first production version of the Volt, according to news sources. A partnership of German company Continental AG and U.S-based A123 Systems, who had previously worked with GM on battery development, was also competing for the contract and may still factor into future development of the Volt. In another sign of GM's commitment to the Volt, GM Spokesman Rob Peterson, said that some of the Volt's technology is being road-tested in “mules”, vehicles disguised as existing models. Industry sources view both developments as significant milestones in bringing the Volt to market. Showroom release is still targeted for late 2010, but will hinge on development of a satisfactory battery that meets key performance criteria (see article below). Meanwhile, Chrysler has also announced plans to enter the electric vehicle market while it faces similar financial challenges and talks of a possible merger with GM.
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Battery Charging Networks Could Help Usher in Electric Vehicles Producing batteries that satisfy consumer demands for durability and reliability as well as performance has been the major obstacle to commercialization of electric vehicles. A battery that lasts five to ten years and performs well enough to receive a manageable warrantee has been an important goal for manufacturers. An alternative approach emerging in the industry may be one way of overcoming this long-standing hurdle. In conceptual plans to be demonstrated in the near future, battery manufacturers, electric utilities, or other third-party entities would supply, maintain, and replace the battery as necessary instead of selling the battery to the consumer as part of the vehicle purchase. A California-based organization called Better Place is planning to explore the viability of the concept in demonstration projects in Israel, Australia, and Denmark. Vehicle owners or individual drivers would essentially enter into a service agreement with a company that might provide the electricity to charge the batteries. Under this scenario, the overall storage and use of electricity would be purchased on an as-needed basis, much like other transportation “fuels”. The arrangement would also remove a substantial addition to the purchase cost of the vehicle to consumers, currently estimated at approximately $7000. Industry watchers suggest this shift of costs from consumers to businesses would make electric vehicles cost-competitive with conventional models.
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Mini ‘E’ Electric Car Debuts at Los Angeles Auto Show The BMW Group has announced plans to produce an all-electric version of its popular Mini Cooper. Dubbed the Mini “E”, the car debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show this month. BMW will deploy a fleet of 500 of the all-electric vehicles to a limited number of private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in California, New York, New Jersey. A second test phase in Europe is also being considered. The Mini E will feature a 204 horsepower electric motor fed by a lithium-ion battery pack that will allow the vehicle a travel range of more than 150 miles. BMW developers are also exploring regenerative braking technology that would extend effective travel range by an additional 20 percent. BMW is proposing to supply customers with a fast-charging “wallbox” that would provide a full recharge after 2.5 hours. The car will initially be available as a two-seater—the back-seat space has been reserved for the battery pack. The Mini E would join the electric version of the SmartCar which German-based automaker Daimler has said will be available to limited customers in late 2009. The electric SmartCar is projected to have a range of approximately 90 miles on a single charge.
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CA Study Finds Car Pollution Kills More People Than Car Accidents A new economic study of the health impacts and associated costs of air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley of Southern California shows that more than 3800 people die prematurely (approximately 14 years earlier than normal) each year because air pollution levels violate federal standards. The number of annual premature deaths is considerably higher than the fatalities related to auto collisions in the same area, which average fewer than 2,000 per year. The study puts a price tag of $28 billion dollars on total health impacts, including increased cases of cancer, asthma, and other lung ailments. Roughly 80 percent of the cost figure is attributable to premature deaths which the study, using Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, values at $6.3 million each. The study estimates that meeting federal standards for ozone and particulate matter pollution in the study area would save the equivalent of $1200 to $1600 per person in health care costs and lost work days
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World's Largest Natural Gas Fueling Station Opens in Thailand Thailand’s Ministry of Energy, with the help of the nation’s largest oil company, PTT Public Company Limited, has officially opened a natural gas fueling station that is being hailed as the largest in the world. Located at a Bangkok bus terminal, equipped with 44 nozzles, and capable of serving up to 5,650 vehicles each day, the station will serve bus fleets, taxis and passenger vans. About 115,000 vehicles in Thailand run on natural gas, but the number has been rising and is projected to increase at least five percent annually.
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With No American Alternative, Transit Agencies Shop Europe for Streetcars and Subway Trains With double-digit ridership growth over the past year, and plans for new or expanded streetcar systems, several U.S. transit systems are planning new orders for streetcars and subway cars. By necessity, they are turning to European manufacturers such as Alstom (France), Siemens (Germany), Ansaldo Breda (Italy), CAF (Spain), and Skoda (Czech Republic). "Trams were invented by the Americans," said Jean-Noël Debroise, vice president for product planning at Alstom, the French streetcar builder that is selling its sleek Citadis light rail car to cities like Houston and Toronto. It is Europeans, however, who have developed the technology for a large market that is growing about 10 percent per year in the United States. As of last year, almost 1,800 miles of streetcar and light rail lines were operating or planned in American cities. Market leader Siemens recently landed a $277 million contract to supply streetcars to the Utah Transit Authority and a $184 million order for a new light rail line in Denver. The cars will be assembled at a Siemens factory in Sacramento, in part to meet U.S. domestic content laws. Increasing U.S. orders for subway cars, trolleys, and streetcars reveals an economic opportunity for U.S. manufacturing. President-elect Obama and other leaders in Congress have stated that transportation infrastructure will be an important element of investing in a “new energy economy”.
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Successful Ballot Measures Boost Transit and Rail Spending Voters in the November elections approved a total of approximately $75 billion in new funding for public transportation, including metropolitan transit and intercity rail service, highlighting an increasing need and public appetite for affordable transportation choices amidst a troubled U.S. economy. Twenty-three different ballot measures at the state and regional level passed, as summarized in an analysis by the Center for Transportation Excellence (CTE), a nonpartisan research group. Some of the larger winners include nearly $10 billion in bonds to start building a high-speed rail network in California and $18 billion to expand transit service in the Seattle area. Overall, more than 70 percent of the major transportation funding measures before voters this year were approved, roughly twice the success rate that such measures normally achieve, according to the CTE. Despite voter anxiety about the economy, tax increases and rising public debt, the CFTE noted that 14 of the 23 measures will increase sales taxes, four will siphon funds from property taxes, and three authorize new bond debt.
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$13 Billion Amtrak Funding Bill Becomes Law The $13 billion bill was the first Amtrak reauthorization bill since 1997 and nearly doubles Amtrak funding to $2.5 billion annually for the next five years. The historic bill comes at a time of record high ridership for Amtrak. An estimated 28 million passengers traveled by Amtrak during fiscal year 2008, the sixth straight record year for passenger rail travel in the United States. . Most of the new funding would go to cover operating costs, debt payment, repairs and expansion. Other components of the legislation include new safety measures for trains including collision-avoidance technology and a $1.9 billion matching-grant program to encourage state investment in rail expansion and repair.
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Landmark California Legislation Connects Development Patterns and Climate Change California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 375 which directs California communities to account for climate change impacts of development in regional planning efforts as a way to help the state to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. California is the first in the nation to embrace comprehensive efforts to link land use planning and greenhouse-gas reductions, primarily as a way to reduce overall car travel. Included in the bill are relaxed environmental review requirements for housing projects that build high-density projects near transit. Bill sponsor Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) notes that the bill does not discourage growth but “fundamentally changes the way we think about growth.” Proponents believe the measure will cause communities to increasingly focus on new infill and transit-oriented developments, reducing reliance on vehicles even as population continues to grow. The legislation brought together environmentalists, developers, and local governments in an effort to discourage sprawl and its negative effects in future decades.
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Washington DC to Relax Mandatory Parking Standards Washington DC is joining other major U.S. cities in a growing national trend to reevaluate mandatory parking requirements attached to new developments. Typically, zoning regulations mandate a minimum number of parking spaces to be included as part of new residential or office space developments. The availability of on-street parking is normally not credited to the project. Cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and New York, however, have all relaxed parking minimums over the last decade. Parking requirements also referred to as “parking minimums,” came out of popular theory in the 1950’s that if new buildings didn’t provide parking, neighborhood streets would become clogged without sufficient capacity. Exact regulations vary by city. Houston’s code mandates a minimum of 1.33 spaces for a one bedroom and 2 for a three bedroom unit, downtown Los Angeles requires 2.25 spaces per residential unit regardless of size. Critics argue that the unintended consequence of parking minimums has been an overabundance of artificially cheap parking. These unsightly surface lots and parking garages promote unnecessary driving, undermine public transit, and drive up the cost of housing. The new wave of thought is that dropping parking requirements will allow developers the freedom to pursue denser, more walkable, transit-oriented development. Harriet Tregoning, Director of the DC Office of Planning, said of the current system, “We’re forcing people to invest in spaces for automobiles rather than in spaces for people, there’s no way to recover that use.” In DC there have been several recent examples of parking lots attached to new urban developments that sit mostly unused. Detractors argue that less parking will make cities less user-friendly and cause unnecessary headaches for commuters and residents. In low-density neighborhoods with adjacent high-rise office and residential uses, eliminating parking minimums could create a market failure whereby demand would outweigh supply. Supporters of the regulations instead advocate for other less invasive solutions to reducing vehicle miles travelled. Ken Jarboe, a neighborhood leader from DC said, “The way to reduce traffic is to continue improving the transit system and to create incentives for people not to drive.”
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Bicycle Commuter Tax Credit Is Pyrrhic Victory for Pedalists A federal tax break for biking, similar to those offered to employees for parking or riding public transit was a small victory for bicyclists in the recently passed $700 billion federal bill to rescue the financial industry. Although frustrated by its attachment to the rescue bill, many bike enthusiasts have praised the cycling tax credit, long pushed for by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founder of the Congressional Bike Caucus. The victory was somewhat clouded by the fact that Rep. Blumenauer voted against the bill despite the inclusion of the cycling tax credit. Lucia Graves, a spokeswoman for the Congressman said of his vote, “he was looking at the big picture and the state of the economy…If anything it was a diversion. It’s great that it was on there, but it was not the point.” Beginning in January, bike commuters will receive a monthly credit of up to $20 that can be used for “reasonable” expenses for bicycle purchase, maintenance, repair and storage. Individual employers will establish how they administer the cycling tax credit and will be able to deduct credit from their corporate taxes. A Complete Streets bill is now moving through the California legislature (A.B. 1358) while Complete Streets legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is the lead sponsor of the Complete Streets Act of 2008 (S. 2686), while Representative Doris Matsui (D-CA) is lead sponsor of the Safe and Complete Streets Act in the House of Representatives (H.R. 5951). In addition to expanding transportation choices for the traveling public, Complete Streets advocates also suggest the concept is a basic element of strategies to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions associated with transportation.
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San Francisco to Experiment with Variable Pricing for Parking In a city known for its pricey property, municipal parking spaces may soon be some of San Francisco’s most valuable real estate. Under a trial plan passed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, 6,000 of the city’s precious parking spots will be priced on a sliding scale depending on how popular they are. And while the least desirable locales may cost as little as 25 cents per hour — a handful of premium parking spots may cost upwards of $18 an hour. Other cities have experimented with parking pricing schemes, but San Francisco’s plan — due to start in the spring with the aid of new meters, sensors, and $18.4 million in federal financing — would place the city at the forefront of parking technology. According to Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the transportation agency, the plan is expected to yield numerous benefits, from reducing congestion and carbon emissions to increased safety from fewer parking-related accidents. Under the 18-month pilot plan, meters in six of the city’s most trafficked neighborhoods will be remotely monitored for “occupancy.” Price rates would be adjusted on four-to-six-week cycles depending on supply and demand for different spaces. Resources http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/us/20park.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1
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Illinois Proposes Express “Green Lanes” on State Tollways Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich announced a plan to allow people who carpool or drive hybrids to use specially designated express lanes on Illinois tollways. The proposed “Green Lanes” would be introduced into the busiest segments of the tollways as a means to reduce congestions and create “free-flow” lanes to cut down on emissions. A new component of the plan is the inclusion of high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes which would allow solo drivers to also use the lanes if they pay a premium rate above the base line toll fare. Cars with at least two people, buses and hybrid electric vehicles would pay the standard toll rate to use the “Green Lanes.” Blagojevich’s plan in not without opposition. A similar proposal for carpool lanes on Illinois tollways was rejected in 1994. Opponents point to studies that have shown HOV lanes in the Bay Area of San Francisco actually have made congestion worse. HOT lanes have been tried in relatively few places where they have earned the moniker “Lexus Lanes, ” hinting at the type of car owners who can afford the higher toll rates. The Illinois Green lanes are budgeted at $1.8 billion, financed by bonds from toll increases for commercial vehicles in 2015 and the higher toll rates for single-occupant vehicles in the Green Lanes.
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We invite you to tell us about your interests and how we might better meet your information needs. Send comments to: Jan Mueller at jmueller [at] eesi.org, 202-662-1883, 1112 16th St., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. |
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