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News > April Fill up in your own home Honda announced its marketing deal to package sales of its compressed natural gas Honda Civic GX with its home refueling system. Those who purchase the GX will be offered a lease on the refueling device, which plugs into a home’s existing natural gas line. The deal will initially be available through 17 dealers in California. Source: Device offers at-home natural-gas fill-ups, USA Today Westport signs deal to develop and market natural gas tanks Westport Innovations signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing Tianhai Industry Co. Ltd. of the People’s Republic of China to work together to explore business opportunities to develop and market natural gas tanks for transportation. Source: Westport signs MOU with Beijing Tianhai Industry Co. Ltd. “BTIC,” Business Wire NYC passes mandates for fuel economy and emissions reductions The New York City Council Committee on Environmental Protection approved a set of initiatives that if passed into law would enforce stricter emissions standards and require a 20% increase in fuel economy by 2015. These mandates require NYC to purchase more alternative fuel vehicles, including buses, street sweepers, and sanitation vehicles, lower emission standards, use ultra low-sulfur diesel in place of standard diesel and enforce that all vehicles meet the EPA’s 2007 emissions standards. Source: NYC legislation mandates increases in fuel economy, reductions in emissions, Green Car Congress Natural gas already a winner for 2008 Olympic games The U.S. DOE is working with the Chinese Government to help Beijing achieve the World Health Organization standards for the 2008 Olympic games. The city plans to reduce air pollution through reductions in the use of coal, tougher air quality and stricter emissions standards. The Olympic Village is planning a hydrogen park to demonstrate developments in hydrogen technology by operating five HCNG-fueled buses. Source: Beijing enlists U.S. help to green the 2008 Olympic games, Environmental News Service Burlington County turning trash into fuel savings A $1 million pilot project at the Burlington County landfill has been running successfully for the past few months with two Mack Garbage Trucks dumping their trash and then filling up on methane produced from the same trash deposit. The partially Doe funded project is expected to save the county even more money with current gasoline prices continuing to escalate. Source: Burlco’s recycling project is garbage in, gas out, The Philadelphia Inquirer House Passes Energy Bill The House passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which puts funds into energy exploration, oil conservation and development of alternative fuel options. Under the amendments, $3 billion will be devoted to the domestic production of hybrid and advanced diesel vehicles. Clean Cities will also be given additional funds to distribute to local programs. The bill calls for exploration into potential oil sites and provides some $12 billion in tax breaks to energy companies. Source: Blunt on passage of energy bill; promoting energy security, preserving natural resources, creating job, US Business Wire HCNG engines in development City Engines Inc. is developing new hydrogen/natural gas (HCNG) engines. The 30% hydrogen 70% natural gas blend offers improved fuel economy and reduced maintenance requirements. Source: New heavy-duty engine manufacturer to build hydrogen-CNG engines, Green Car Congress LA Ports to reduce emissions by “plugging-in” ships Los Angeles Port officials approved a financial incentive program to encourage cruise lines to “plug in” ships to shoreline electric power rather their running their diesel engines while docked to reduce emissions. Source: Port of Los Angeles officials Oks ship “plug-in’ incentive, Daily Breeze National trucking fleet converts to CNG Warburtons has modified more than 40% of its vehicle fleet to pure and dual-fuel CNG engines. Since the conversion, Warburton’s fuel costs have lowered, and the company plans to continue converting its fleet to CNG. Source: Bakers green drive towards friendly fuel, Manchester Online DOE investing in hydrogen technology Millennium Cell has begun a Cooperative Research Agreement with the DOE to develop hydrogen generation systems that meet the DOE’s hydrogen storage efficiency targets. Source: Millennium Cell awarded five-year, $3 million contract from U.S. Department of Energy, Millennium Cell Higher fuel efficiency standards rejected The House Energy and Commerce Committee rejected a proposal to increase average fuel efficiency (CAFE standards) 20% by 2014. The committee also rejected a proposal to reduce national oil consumption by one million barrels per day by 2013. Despite the lack of fuel efficiency standards, the committee did vote to allow oil companies to drill in ANWR, which is expected to produce 870,000 barrels of oil per day. Source: House energy committee shoots down increases in fuel efficiency, Green Car Congress Los Angeles Airport to increase CNG fleet Los Angeles World Airports is buying 17 new Honda Civic GX compressed natural gas sedans to add to its existing alternative fuel fleets at Los Angeles International Airport and Ontario International Airport. Source: 17 Civic GX (CNG) sedans for LA airports, Greencarcongress.com Canada and automakers agree on emissions reductions The Canadian government and most of the world’s major automakers have reached an agreement in which automakers will voluntarily reduce their vehicles’ greenhouse emissions. The agreement is expected to reduce emission pollutants by 5.3 million metric tons by the end of 2010. The voluntary agreement sets an example for a solution to the US vehicle emissions problem. Source: Canada and automakers agree to emissions reductions, The New York Times New CNG/LNG fueling station to open in Barstow Construction began on a $2.3 million CNG/LNG fueling station in Barstow CA to fuel the city’s transit system, as well as become part of the Interstate Clean Transportation Corridor. Funds for the project were provided mostly by the San Bernardino Associated Governments, the AQMD and the California Energy Commission. Source: Fuel facility finally breaks ground, The Desert Dispatch Westport announces new funding for hydrogen bus demonstration The Canadian government has awarded approximately $6 million to Westport Innovations and a consortium of partners to develop and demonstrate hydrogen technology in energy and transportation applications. Part of the funding involves an existing Vancouver-based demonstration of HCNG-fueled public transit buses. Source: Westport announces new funding for hydrogen bus demonstration, Fuelcellworks.com ChevronTexaco creating new and better hydrogen production methods ChevronTexaco Ventures presented a paper on advanced steam methane reforming (SMR) and autothermal reforming (ATR) with Modine Manufacturing Company at the National Hydrogen Association annual conference in Washington, DC. ChevronTexaco is working to develop and commercialize fuel-processing technologies that turn existing energy infrastructures and feedstocks, such as natural gas, into hydrogen. Source: ChevronTexaco is creating new and better ways for the distributed production of hydrogen, I-Newswire.com Bangladesh to allow tax-free imports of CNG vehicles The Bangladeshi government plans to allow tax-free imports of CNG engines and vehicles in an effort to support the use of environmentally friendly fuels and reduce dependenc on expensive imported petroleum. Source: Bangladesh plans to import CNG-run engines, China View New hydrogen production using natural gas as energy source Modine Manufacturing Co. has shipped its first advanced steam methane reformer to Houston for laboratory testing. The reformer extracts hydrogen from natural gas through a process involving heat, steam and catalysts. The reformer could be installed in a demonstration hydrogen fueling station as early as 2006. Source: Modine driving the technology to power fuel-cell vehicles, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2006 emissions regulations closing in on petroleum industry New sulfur restrictions from diesel fuel emissions are scheduled to become effective in September 2006, and the petroleum industry is fearing they won’t be able to meet the requirements in time. They are requesting flexibility in the first months of the effective date to fall into compliance. Source: Road map to clean diesel, Automotive News GM, DaimlerChrysler and U.S. DOE to build hydrogen vehicles General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler have signed an $88million deal with the U.S. Department of EnergyDOE to build a fleet of demonstration hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to operate in Washington, D.C., New York, California and Michigan. The DOE will split the cost and expects the vehicles to be on the road by the end of 2005. In a separate agreement, Shell Hydrogen LLC will support the fleet by setting up five hydrogen refueling stations. Source: Auto giants ink U.S. fuel cell deals, CNN Money India and Japan to expand natural gas supplies India and Japan have agreed to jointly develop natural gas resources near the Andaman Islands as soon as this summer. This development would allow Japan to diversify its energy sources and strengthen ties with India in an effort to counter China’s growing influence in Asia. Source: Japan, India to develop natural gas resources, Reuters BREC seeks grant for compressed natural gas vehicles The East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Park Commission is awaiting approval of a Clean Cities grant, which would enable the commission to purchase new compressed natural gas vehicles. The Clean Cities grant would also include 70% of the cost to install a natural gas fueling station for the vehicles. Source: BREC cites concerns about environment, 2theadvocate.com Landfill officials look to sell gas to county A three county committee is reviewing a proposal to purchase methane gas from the Sunnyview Landfill in Winnebago, WI. The methane gas is a bi-product of the landfill that can be used to generate electricity. Each megawatt of electricity generated from this methane gas would provide an environmental benefit equivalent to taking 9,300 cars off the road. Source: Landfill officials look to sell gas to county, TheNorthwestern.com |
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