All About Alternate Fuel Vehicles (AFV)

June 22, 2007
Source: InsideGreentech.com
http://insidegreentech.com/node/1367

The city of Las Vegas says it’s been able to reduce the Nitrous Oxide (NOx) emissions of its diesel and biodiesel fueled equipment by 18 percent using a fuel additive.  “NOx emissions were reduced by 18 percent after using the XenTxâ„¢ Diesel Fuel Treatment in all of our biodiesel powered vehicles,” said Dan Hyde, Fleet Manager for the City of Las Vegas.  “[The additive] also increased fuel efficiency by 3% according to certified testing at independent labs. The increase in fuel economy more than offsets the additional cost of using the product,” he said.
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By Steven Oberbeck, June 2, 2007
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
http://origin.sltrib.com/business/ci_6047384

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has his hydrogen-powered Hummer. Within the next couple of weeks, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will be driving his own own alternative-fuel vehicle - a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban he will be able to fill up for as little as 73 cents a gallon. Instead of gasoline or electricity, Huntsman’s automobile will be powered by compressed natural gas, a readily available fuel that generates the same miles per gallon as gasoline with little pollution. (more…)

Source: Chinadaily.com.cn / June 18, 2007
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2007-06/19/content_897643.htm

Chinese auto manufacturers will use more resources to develop commercial vehicles that use alternative fuels such as natural gas, mixed fuel and fuel cells. This is part of the new energy vehicles project, from the High-Tech Research and Development Program of China, or the 863 Plan.
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Kevin Davie,    17 June 2007
Source: Mail&Guardian of Zambia
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=311577&area=/insight/insight__economy__business/

How cool would it be to own and drive a car in Johannesburg which is emission free?  One of the reasons South Africa is a disproportionately large contributor on a per capita basis to the build-up of greenhouse gases is the fact that the country has an under-developed public transport system.  Liquid fuels, which, according to one expert, contribute 35% of greenhouse gases produced in South Africa, make a large and growing contribution to carbon build-up.
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Mumbai, June 23, 2007
Source: Daily Times of Pakistan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C23%5Cstory_23-6-2007_pg5_28

Indian energy firms are stepping up spending on compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure to meet soaring demand from vehicle makers, but poor facilities may hamper gas adoption in the near term, analysts say.  India ranks fifth in the world for vehicles running on CNG, which is half the price of petrol or diesel.  But CNG is offered at only about 1 percent of India’s 35,000 retail outlets, in sharp contrast to neighbouring Pakistan where CNG is widely used and on offer at nearly 1,400 gas stations.
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Express News Service. Kolkata, June 22, 2007
Source: Express India
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=242479

GAIL (India) Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) had entered into an understanding in April 2007 for a joint venture for city gas distribution projects in West Bengal. The project would be implemented first in Kolkata.  GAIL officials said that the joint venture company would undertake the distribution and marketing of compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles, and piped natural gas for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes. The company would also take up supply of Auto LPG as fuel for vehicles through greenfield auto LPG dispensing stations.
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Caroline Manongi and Jiang Alipo, June 23, 2007
Source: DailyNews Tanzania
http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=7428

TANZANIAN motorists’ worries about oil prices fluctuations will soon end as the government is planning to introduce natural gas powered vehicles this year.  The introduction of compressed natural gas as an alternative to petrol and diesel is expected to save motorists and vehicle owners 40 per cent of the cost of transport.
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By Edie Hall, The Hutchinson News
http://www.hutchnews.com/news/regional/stories/Ethanol061707.shtml

Several ethanol plants operate around the Hutchinson area.  A major gas station chain is headquartered here.  Carriers of E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gas, are eligible for a 40 percent state income tax credit on top of the 30 percent federal tax credit.  And sales for flexible-fuel vehicles, which can be gassed up with the blend, are on the rise, creating at least the potential for an increased demand for the fuel. So, how many gas stations in this town carry E85?
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Industry-First ”Green Membership” Plus Hundreds of Hybrids — Including New Lexus RX 400h Luxury Hybrid — Make Flexcar’s Fleet the ”Coolest” in the Industry
Washington, June 20, 2997
Source: BusinessWire.com
http://home.businesswire.com/  newsId=20070620005261

Flexcar (www.flexcar.com) has already effectively removed thousands of cars from the roads and reduced millions of pounds of carbon emissions from the air. So how does Flexcar make its leading national network even better and “cooler”? By increasing the number of hybrid vehicles and partnering with TerraPass (www.terrapass.com), the leading provider of carbon offsets for individual consumers, to balance the entire carbon footprint of its fleet.

Flexcar has partnered with TerraPass to create a new type of membership — the Green Membership — to allow its members to balance the emissions from their Flexcar usage. The option, which costs $9.95 per year (in addition to the regular $35 annual Flexcar membership fee), effectively reduces one ton of carbon emissions for each Green Membership.
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By James R. Healey, USA TODAY / June 18, 2007
Source: USA Today.com
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-06-18-gm-hybrids_N.htm

General Motors is working on two plug-in electric vehicles, but only one — the Saturn Vue Green Line SUV — is a hybrid.  The other plug-in, the Chevrolet Volt, is powered strictly via the electric motor, which draws its juice from on-board batteries.   Volt — still a concept and still under development — would carry a small internal combustion engine to recharge the batteries while underway, if needed, so you’d never need to worry about running down the batteries.  As envisioned, the engine would never power the car, only recharge the batteries.
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