Environmentally Friendly Cars

How would you like a passenger shuttle that can be converted to a cargo vehicle whenever you want to?

ZAP surely knows the kind of utility vehicle that the most practical people are looking for. In just a matter of time, ZAP will introduce its four-wheel electric passenger van convertible to cargo truck at the annual conference of the National Automobile Dealers Association. It will be in New Orleans later January.

With removable seats, this van can definitely be used for transporting equipments when needed. The cargo function has a 108 cubic ft. and it can carry up to 900 pounds in capacity.

No worry for its use on the road since it is in conformity with the US regulations for Low Speed Vehicles. It can run at 25 mph on street limits. It has posted 35 mph speed limit. It’s an electric van that’s why it posts such a range of speed limit.

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Scientists from the ETH Zurich are working on the development of a hybrid engine depending on pneumatics. The internal combustion of the power plant of the vehicle will be linked to a compressed air storage instead of the usual battery system. The paper with regard to this will formally be presented during the 2009 SAW World Congress.

Pneumatic engine design may give way to a more efficient fuel consumption that is comparable to hybrid cars. The concept of pneumatic engine design is based on the supercharging and down sizing concepts.

The pneumatic engine works efficiently by utilizing an electronically controlled valve that regulates the flow of compressed air concurrent with the injection of the fuel.

The technology also allows downsizing. The average 150 horsepower car can be downsized to only 30 horse power which is sufficient enough for dialing driving.

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I like this Nissan NuVu Electric Car MUCHO! It looks somewhat strange, but that’s fine for a concept car if you ask me. The real innovation is in the techy stuff, and Nissan Car Talk has some excellent info in their article on this Nissan NuVu:

… [Nissan] is still a bit tight-lipped about the exact specifications of the NuVu, but word has it that the drivetrain is a fully functional mobile test bed of the new technology that Nissan plans using in the production of the electric vehicle slated for launching in 2010. What consumers can expect, however, is that the NuVu will be able to run at the top speed of around 75 mph and has a 77-mile range. The NuVu will use a lithium-ion battery pack that is capable of 140 watt hours per kilogram…

Looks (and sounds) pretty impressive, doesn’t it?

The US Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy will allocate $25 million for research and development that will lead to new technologies in biofuel processing, bio-based products, and bioenergy.

The two agencies of government are joining forces to support projects that will help increase the availability of alternative fuels that are renewable and based on bio products.

Funds will be allocated on a yearly basis, to help kick off efforts on producing sustainable resources of renewable biomass. The fuels that will be products of these research and development projects will help significantly in lowering the green house gasses by at least 50%.

The funding opportunity announcement of the USDA and DOE are specifically looking into development of feedstock, biofuels, analysis of biofuels, and production of other bioproducts.

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A123Systems has proposed an application to qualify for the $ 1.84 billion budget in direct loans under the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program (ATVMIP) of the US Department of Energy. This is in support of the company’s plans of building new lithium-ion battery production line in the US, in which Michigan is the foremost site of construction.

If the application is granted, the program would allow A123Systems to develop its production ability in the U.S., intended to provide battery systems for hybrid EVs or plug-in electric vehicles.

A123 anticipates that the total covered area of the facilities will be around 7 million sq. ft. and will create more than 14,000 new jobs. These factories will be producing batteries and technologies that would meet the expectations of A123’s client base in the automotive sector. The company’s existing customers comprises BAE Systems, AES, Black and Decker, Chrysler LLC, Cessna, Project Better Place, General Motors, and Think.

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Following a $90 billion fund booster from oil big player BP, Verenium commenced with the production of ethanol from sources like trash, grass straw, and wood chips in their plant in Jennings, Louisiana. This ethanol producing factory using non-food raw materials is the first of its kind in the United States.

The cellulosic ethanol sector is the second generation of producers after corn ethanol makers exits the stage. The Louisiana plant serves as a demonstration ground that what they have may actually be good for everyone. The plant is set to produce around 1.4 million gallons of ethanol on a yearly basis.

Although the production of ethanol will not yet be on a commercial scale which requires more than 60 MGY, the pioneering effort is a major step in proving that the second gen ethanol sector can deliver what they have been promising.

Venerium is starting to show the world that they can really produce cellulosic ethanol by manipulating the genes of the microbes needed for the process.

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