All About Alternate Fuel Vehicles (AFV)

By Elwin Green, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 25, 2007
Source:  http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/23122

Four years ago Colin Huwyler was a 17-year-old college freshman looking for a way to save money on his 45-minute commute to the University of Buffalo when he learned that it was possible to run a diesel car on vegetable oil.  “The prospect seemed mighty appealing,” he said, so he got his hands on a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta and ordered a kit to perform the conversion that would allow it to run on the excess grease that restaurants throw away. “It worked, and everybody was shocked.”
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by Greg Edwards, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer / May 26, 2007
Source: DailyProgress.com

Abiodiesel refinery is operating in a century-old building in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom. Reco Biodiesel LLC made its first 8,000-gallon batch of biodiesel in November. It has supplied the soybean-based fuel to companies that blend it with petroleum diesel fuel for sale to public and governmental customers.  Virginia has four commercial biodiesel refineries, all hoping that the regional market for the environmentally friendly fuel will grow. More refineries are coming, reportedly in places such as Charlottesville, the Eastern Shore and Tidewater. A California company, SE-Energy, announced this week that it plans to build a large plant on the Hampton Roads waterfront to produce biodiesel.
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San Ramon, CA & Federal Way, WA, April 12, 2007
Source: Chevron Corp, press release
http://www.chevron.com/news/press/2007/2007-04-12.asp
Letter of Intent Aimed at Development of Renewable Transportation Fuels Derived From Cellulose

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) and Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) today announced a letter of intent (LOI) to jointly assess the feasibility of commercializing the production of biofuels from cellulose-based sources.  The companies will focus on researching and developing technology that can transform wood fiber and other nonfood sources of cellulose into economical, clean-burning biofuels for cars and trucks. Feedstock options include a wide range of materials from Weyerhaeuser’s existing forest and mill system and cellulosic crops planted on Weyerhaeuser’s managed forest plantations.
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San Ramon, CA, May 29, 2007
Source: Chevron.com  / press release
http://www.chevron.com/news/press/2007/2007-05-29b.asp
Joint effort to focus on conversion of non-food crops into renewable transportation fuels

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) and the Texas A&M Agriculture and Engineering BioEnergy Alliance (Texas A&M BioEnergy Alliance) announced today that they have entered into a strategic research agreement to accelerate the production and conversion of crops for manufacturing ethanol and other biofuels from cellulose.  Chevron Technology Ventures, a division of Chevron USA, Inc., will support research initiatives over a four-year period through the Texas A&M BioEnergy Alliance, a formal partnership combining the collective strengths of The Texas A&M University System’s two premier research agencies in agriculture and engineering – the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES).
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San Ramon, CA & Houston, TX / May 29, 2007
Source: Chevron.com / press release
http://www.chevron.com/news/press/2007/2007-05-29.asp
Bioselect and Chevron Unveil Fully Operational Biodiesel Plant in Galveston, Texas

BioSelect Fuels LLC, a division of Standard Renewable Energy LLC, and Chevron Technology Ventures, a division of Chevron USA, unveiled their biodiesel plant in Galveston, Texas today. The plant is one of the first large-scale biodiesel production facilities in North America and is now producing clean-burning biodiesel from renewable resources.  Galveston Bay Biodiesel, LP (GBB) is the initial project of BioSelect Fuels, a Houston-based developer and operator of biodiesel facilities. The facility will initially produce 20 million gallons of biodiesel per year and has the capability to expand operations to produce 110 million gallons per year.
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Plymouth Meeting, PA, Jan 22, 2007
Source: Lithium Technology Corp. press release
http://www.lithiumtech.com/pr12207.htm
UC Davis Hybrid Electric Vehicle Group Re-engineers GM Equinox Using LTC’s Lithium-ion Cells

Lithium Technology Corporation ( “LTC”) (OTC: LTHU), a global provider of large lithium-ion rechargeable power solutions, is powering the Chevy Equinox being re-engineered by the University of California, Davis Hybrid Electric Vehicle Group as part of the Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility engineering competition. LTC provided a series of high power lithium-ion cells to power the University’s demonstration vehicle entry for the contest sponsored by General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
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Lithium Technology Corporation offers the Largest Lithium Iron Phosphate Cells in World
Plymouth Meeting, PA, May 14, 2007 /
Source: Lithium Technology Corp. press release
http://www.lithiumtech.com/pr51407.htm

The battery power solution for advanced automotives has arrived. Lithium Technology Corporation (”LTC”) (OTC: LTHU) announced today its new product line of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cells, the largest cells of their kind in the world. This is the answer the automotive industry has been searching for.  “The technology we can offer the automotive industry today is unmatched by any other battery power solution on the market,” commented Dr. Klaus Brandt, executive vice president of LTC and managing director of LTC subsidiary GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke (GAIA). “Others have been estimating up to a year to deliver the technology we are proud to make available today. We have proven the superiority of our technology in the past, and with the iron phosphate product we have raised the bar even further.”
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Kristie Busam
http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=60267

FedEx Express announced it has signed agreements with Azure Dynamics to develop hybrid electric power trains for its delivery fleet. Once the development phase is completed, FedEx Express has committed to purchase a (more…)

23 April 2007 / press release
http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/products.asp?p=n&itemid=148

Tanfield, the leading manufacturer of zero emission electric vehicles and aerial work platforms, is pleased to announce the successful launch of its Edison zero emission electric van. Tanfield has today also secured its first contracts for initial orders of Edison with Sainbury’s, TNT, CEVA Logistics and Scottish & Southern Energy.  J Sainsbury Plc (“Sainsbury’s”), a leading UK retailer, has ordered an initial eight Edison electric vans for its Sainsbury’s Online home shopping delivery fleet. Sainsbury’s aims to switch 20% of its urban delivery fleet to electric vehicles by September 2008 and its entire urban home shopping fleet by 2010.
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Source: Smith Electric Vehicles / press release / April 24, 2007
http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com/products.asp?p=n&itemid=150

Smith Electric Vehicles, the world’s leading manufacturer of road-going zero emission commercial vehicles, today (APR 24th) unveils its latest world-beating model.  Edison utilises Smith’s latest battery and power train technology, housed in the instantly-recognisable Ford Transit shell. Edison is capable of 50mph and a range of up to 150 miles on one battery charge, while still providing up to 1,500kg of payload. It is the only zero emission vehicle with a GVW of under 3.5t to offer these performance capabilities. (more…)