2/2/2012 5:41:56 AM
And now for something really big. We all know the problems with
natural gas for transportation-lack
of refueling, the big cost difference over diesel trucks, and a
fluctuating cost differential between natural gas and diesel fuel
prices. Yesterday, a savvy coalition including Navistar, Clean Energy
and Swift Transportation announced a plan to jumpstart the widespread
conversion of the U.S. truck fleet to natural gas. Here’s the kicker,
the model doesn’t rely on government incentives. Fleet Owner reports
that Clean Energy will invest in 170 more fueling stations this year and
next, and guarantee fuel prices 50 to 60 cents less than diesel. For
their part, Navistar will offer vehicle leases comparable to diesel
units. Fleet customers agree to buy the fuel from Clean Energy, and
voila-an innovative model is born.
Now, if someone could only think of something that fancy for electric
trucks. Wait, just maybe some brainiacs at the MIT Center for
Transportation and Logistics did. After collecting data from the Staples
delivery truck fleet of 53 all-electric Smith Electric trucks, they
found that EVs can cost 9-12% less to operate than trucks powered by
diesel engines when used to make deliveries every day in big cities.
There’s more, says Phys.Org. A
vehicle-to-grid
system can reduce operating costs by 7-11%, saving $900-$1400 per truck
per year. Then, along comes a Stanford research team aiming to do for
charging what Clean Energy is doing for NG fueling. They’ve designed a
high-efficiency charging system that could wirelessly charge cars and trucks as they drive down the highway. Goodbye range anxiety.
Fuel efficiency is key to dollar savings if you know how to do it and GM
has an app game for that. Wanting to raise consumer awareness of the
hybrid drivetrains on the Buick LaCrosse and Regal, Autoblog Green says
they are out with games that reward players for
fuel efficient driving.
Former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz isn’t playing around as he recently
lashed out at fellow conservatives who he thinks are playing politics
with their criticism of NHTSA’s Volt battery investigation into
post-crash-test fires. The agency has endorsed the
safety of the Volt.
Mr. Lutz is in interesting company with his criticism of Fox News.
Kermit and Miss Piggy were so exasperated by the news channel calling
out “The Muppets” movie as delivering liberal, anti-oil messaging to
children, that they called their premier press conference.
YouTube shares the rebuttal where Kermit is cool and calm and Miss Piggy is ticked off. It isn’t easy being green.