Infrastructure
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Renault-Nissan Alliance Adds Oregon and Monaco to Growing Roster of EV Partners
November 21, 2008
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has added two more partners for the development and promotion of a charging infrastructure to support electric vehicles: the US state of Oregon, and the Principality of Monaco. Since July this year, the Alliance has announced partnerships with Portugal, the City of Yokohama in Japan, the US state of Tennessee, and French utility giant EDF. In addition, the Alliance is also partnering with Better Place.
Oregon. Nissan chairman and Renault SA co-chairman Carlos Ghosn announced the Oregon partnership during his opening address at the Los Angeles Auto Show. (Earlier post.) Nissan will introduce ZEVs in the United States in 2010 and will mass market ZEVs globally two years later.
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SF Bay Area Mayors Announce Coordinated Policies to Accelerate Establishment of EV Infrastructure; Better Place to Enter US Market in California
November 20, 2008
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| Better Place introduced a second EV prototype to work with its infrastructure: the Better Place Rogue, based on the Nissan Rogue crossover SUV. Click to enlarge. |
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums announced a nine-point policy plan to establish a pervasive infrastructure to transform the SF Bay Area into the “Electric Vehicle (EV) Capital of the US”. In conjunction with the news, Better Place announced that it would enter the US market with California as its first state, beginning in the Bay Area.
Commercial availability of electric cars is targeted to begin in 2012, and Better Place estimates its network investment in the Bay Area will total $1 billion when the system is fully deployed. The three Mayors said they welcomed Better Place’s announcement and anticipate many other EV companies will focus on the Bay Area as a top-priority market.
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Nearly All Gasoline in Maine Now E10, Without State Mandate
November 01, 2008
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| Current percentage use of E10 and projected use for 2010. Click to enlarge. Source: KinderMorgan |
Nearly all gasoline now distributed in the state of Maine is now an E10 blend (10% ethanol), according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The introduction of ethanol-blended gasoline in the market is not a state requirement, but resulted from a combination of state and federal regulations, state and federal tax incentives and current fuel market forces, DEP says.
As of August, 39 states provide incentives promoting ethanol production and use, according to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Twelve have also introduced their own Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS); of these, eight mandate E10 and one (Minnesota) has an E20 by 2013 requirement. Nationwide, however, the fuel industry is rapidly closing in on an almost universal use of E10, and should reach that within several years, given a combination of factors.
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Ethanol Organizations Pushing for Mid-Range Blends; Splash-Blending Pumps for Retailers
October 31, 2008
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| A splash-blending pump. Click to enlarge. Source: EPIC/ACE |
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) are pushing for wider deployment of mid-range ethanol blends via the use of splash-blending pumps at retail sites. Mid-range ethanol blends (e.g., E15, E20, E30, etc.) can legally be used in flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) in the US. Use in non-FFVs is not currently legal, although it is under focused study. (Earlier post.)
In a webinar primarily targeted to petroleum marketers (e.g., fuel station owners) Ron Lamberty from ACE outlined the organization’s immediate rationale for opposing universal E10 blends, which is derived from the current structure of financial incentives around ethanol provision and use in the US, and its focus on preserving splash blending.
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Kinder Morgan Successfully Completes Tests of Ethanol Transport in Pipeline: To Offer the Service by Mid-November
October 19, 2008
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| A pig train will prepare the pipeline for ethanol transport. Click to enlarge. Source: KMP |
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), the largest independent owner/operator of refined products pipelines in the US, recently successfully completed a series of tests to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of transporting batched denatured ethanol is the 195-mile, 16-inch gasoline pipeline between Tampa and Orlando, Florida. The pipeline is one of its Central Florida Pipeline Company’s assets.
KMP is finalizing mechanical modifications to the pipeline to support ethanol transportation, and intends to offer this service to its customers by mid-November. The company has also completed modifications to tanks, truck racks and related infrastructure for new or expanded ethanol service at various terminals in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest. KMP said that it has invested approximately $60 million in these ethanol-related projects.
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I-65 Biofuel Corridor from Indiana to Alabama Complete
October 10, 2008
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| The I-65 Biofuels Corridor, with some of the station locations marked on the map (the numbers refer to the timeline of events on the promotional drive.) Click to enlarge. |
Interstate 65 is now “America’s First Biofuels Corridor” with the conclusion of a project to make E85 Ethanol and B20 Biodiesel available the entire 886-mile length of the Interstate, from Gary, Indiana to Mobile, Alabama. A driver is now no more than a quarter of a tank’s drive from a participating E85 retailer.
The $1.3 million federal project involved Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, the four states through which I-65 travels. The project funded 31 E85 and five B20 stations in the states and one biodiesel blending facility on the Indiana-Ohio border. Indiana has 19 E85 pumps; Kentucky has one E85 pump; Tennessee has two E85 pumps; Alabama has eight E85/B20 pumps.
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US Congress Passes $8 Billion Highway Trust Fund Bill
September 12, 2008
The US House of Representatives voted 376-29 to give final approval to a measure that would immediately appropriate US$8.017 billion of general revenue to the Highway Trust Fund, sending the bill to President Bush for his expected signature.
The House originally passed the bill, HR 6532, on July 23. Senators approved it by voice vote Wednesday evening, amending the legislation to make it effective upon the president's signature rather than on Sept. 30. The House today concurred with the Senate amendment and sent the bill to the White House.
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Transport Consortium Establishes LNG Refuelling Infrastructure for 120 Heavy Duty Trucks in Tasmania
September 08, 2008
LNG Refuellers Pty Ltd (LNGR), an Australia-based consortium comprising seven Tasmanian transport operators, has struck a deal with industrial gas company BOC for the supply of LNG fuel for more than 120 LNG-powered heavy-duty vehicles. Tasmania is an Australian state—and island—located 240 kilometers (150 mi) south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by the Bass Strait.
The trucks will mostly be new vehicles with Westport engines with some existing Caterpillar powered vehicles fitted with the Clean Air Power Dual-Fuel system (earlier post).
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Flowserve and Linde Group Form JV for Natural Gas Refueling Systems Using Ionic Liquid Compressor
August 29, 2008
Flowserve Corp., a global provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, has formed a joint venture with The Linde Group to commercialize and deploy ionic liquid compressor iKompressor natural gas and biogas refueling systems in Europe.
Called Flowserve Compression Systems GmbH, the joint venture plans to deliver at least 70 iKompressor refueling systems by 2009 to Germany, Austria, and neighboring European Union (EU) countries. The iKompressor systems are designed to reduce energy costs by up to 20% at low-inlet pressures, substantially reduce maintenance costs, and deliver high system reliability.
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Study Concludes That Tolls More Equitable Than Taxes for Road Improvements
August 20, 2008
A new joint study by UCLA and USC researchers shows that pay-as-you-go transportation options may be fairer to all income levels than paying for road improvements through sales taxes. Many voters and elected officials oppose proposals for “congestion tolls” on equity grounds, therefore road projects are usually funded by more politically acceptable sales taxes. The researchers found that this reasoning is flawed.
In the study, Brain D. Taylor, professor and chair of urban planning at UCLA and director of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, and co-author Lisa Schweitzer, assistant professor at USC’s School of Policy, Planning, and Development, compared how two distinct transportation-funding mechanisms—a toll road and a tax measure—affect Orange County’s lower-income residents.
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US DOT Proposes Overhaul of Federal Approach to Transportation
July 29, 2008
US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters unveiled a plan to “refocus, reform and renew” the national approach to highway and transit systems in America. The new plan outlines increased federal attention on maintaining and improving the Interstate highway system, rather than applying funds for programs clearly not federal priority areas.
Addressing urban congestion and giving greater flexibility to state and local governments to invest in their most needed transit and highway priorities is another main element of the plan. As part of the focus on congestion, the plan would create a Metropolitan Innovation Fund that rewards cities willing to combine a mix of effective transit investments, dynamic pricing of highways and new traffic technologies, the Secretary said.
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eTec and V2Green to Evaluate PHEV Fast-Charging and Smart Grid Interactions; V2Green and Coulomb Also Partner
July 23, 2008
Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), a wholly owned subsidiary of ECOtality, Inc., has launched a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) Grid Interaction Project to demonstrate and evaluate a bi-directional fast-charge system capable of both fast-charging a PHEV in 10 minutes and supplying the stored energy of a PHEV back to a smart grid.
Funded by the US Department of Energy through Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and supported by project partner V2Green, the project will pair the eTec Minit-Charger Level 3 fast-charge system with V2Green’s smart grid technology.
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Nissan and Tennessee Form Zero-Emissions Vehicle Partnership
July 22, 2008
Nissan and the State of Tennessee are forming a partnership to promote zero-emission vehicles (ZEV), including electric vehicles, in Middle Tennessee with participation from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and other partners. This marks the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s fourth such ZEV initiative, and the first one in the US.
Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Renault, SA, made the announcement of the Tennessee agreement during the dedication of Nissan Americas, a newly completed building in Franklin serving as the coordination point for the company’s operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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GM and Electric Utility Industry Launch Collaboration in Support of Commercializing Plug-in Vehicles
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| Saturn Vue PHEV plugging in to a Coulomb Chargepoint (earlier post) in San Jose, CA. Click to enlarge. |
General Motors and the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)—with the support of more than 30 of the top electric utilities in the United States and Canada—launched a new collaboration to accelerate the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles.
General Motors, EPRI and the utility companies will work on everything from codes and standards to grid capability to provide an infrastructure to support the Chevy Volt, the Saturn Vue Plug-in Hybrid and other plug-in vehicles when they come to market. Details of the alliance—the largest and most-comprehensive yet between an automaker and the electric utility industry—were announced in San Jose during the Plug-In 2008 Conference.
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Coulomb Technologies Introduces New Smart Charging Infrastructure for Plug-In Vehicles
July 21, 2008
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| The ChargePoint Network. Click to enlarge. |
Coulomb Technologies is introducing a new smart charging infrastructure for plug-in vehicles, including Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs such as the Volt), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).
Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network includes public charging stations, a consumer subscription plan and utility grid management technology for electric utility companies to smooth electrical demands on the grid. The infrastructure solution will be showcased with GM’s Saturn Vue Plug-in Hybrid at the Plug-In 2008 Conference & Exposition 22-24 July in San Jose, California.
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Ford Introduces Prototype “Smart Intersection”
July 10, 2008
Ford Motor Company has unveiled one of the first privately funded “smart intersections” in North America, a step toward leveraging GPS technology and wireless infrastructure-to-vehicle communications to reduce traffic accidents and ease congestion and its resulting fuel wastage.
The smart intersection, established near Ford’s Research & Innovation Center in Dearborn, communicates with specially equipped test vehicles to warn drivers of potentially dangerous traffic situations, such as when a vehicle is about to run through a red light. The intersection is outfitted with technology that can monitor traffic signal status, GPS data and digital maps to assess potential hazards, and then transmit the information to vehicles.
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FCCJ Establishes Scenario for Fuel Cell Vehicle and Hydrogen Station Commercialization in Japan Beginning in 2015
July 07, 2008
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| The commercialization scenario. Click to enlarge. |
Leading automakers in and outside Japan and Japanese energy companies have agreed on a scenario which sees commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and hydrogen stations beginning in Japan in 2015.
Beginning in late 2006, the Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan (FCCJ), under the leadership of major member companies on its board of directors, held repeated consultations on scenarios for full-scale commercialization of FCVs and development of hydrogen stations. These consultations led to the agreement on a timeline and the requirements for commercialization of FCVs and hydrogen stations starting in 2015.
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GM Calls For More Hydrogen Stations; Plans 1,000 Fuel Cell Vehicles in California by 2014
April 07, 2008
General Motors called on the energy industry and governments to build more hydrogen fueling stations to help automakers move to volume production of fuel cell-electric vehicles.
That message was delivered last week by Larry Burns, General Motors vice president, research & development and strategic planning, in a keynote address at the National Hydrogen Association’s annual conference in Sacramento, CA.
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National Research Council Report: Climate Change Will Have a Significant Impact on US Transportation Infrastructure and Operations
March 11, 2008
While every mode of transportation in the US will be affected as the climate changes, potentially the greatest impact on transportation systems will be flooding of roads, railways, transit systems, and airport runways in coastal areas because of rising sea levels and surges brought on by more intense storms, according to a new report from the National Research Council.
Although the impacts of climate change will vary by region, it is certain they will be widespread and costly in human and economic terms, and will require significant changes in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of transportation systems, according to the report, The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on US Transportation.
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Magellan Midstream Partners and Buckeye Partners Assessing $3B Dedicated Ethanol Pipeline System
February 20, 2008
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| Proposed dedicated ethanol pipeline route. The black and green dots represent existing and planned ethanol facilities. Click to enlarge. |
Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. and Buckeye Partners, L.P. have begun a joint assessment to determine the feasibility of constructing a dedicated $3-billion ethanol pipeline system to deliver fuel ethanol from the Midwest to distribution terminals in the northeastern United States.
The proposed pipeline could have the capacity to supply more than 10 million gallons of ethanol per day, enough to meet the needs of millions of northeastern motorists who purchase 10% ethanol blended gasoline or higher ethanol blends such as E85.
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Indian Oil Company Selects Hythane Company to Build First Public Hydrogen Station in India
January 25, 2008
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), one of India’s largest petroleum marketing groups, has selected Hythane Company LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australia-based Eden Energy Limited, to supply and install the first public hydrogen dispensing station in India to supply fuel to motor vehicles running on either hydrogen or Hythane (a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas; between 5-7% hydrogen by energy).
The US$1.0 million hydrogen/Hythane retail fuel outlet will be built in the capital, Delhi, at an existing gasoline/natural gas refueling station.
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NIST Building Facility for Evaluating Hydrogen Pipeline Tests, Materials, Properties and Standards
January 24, 2008
A new laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will evaluate tests, materials, mechanical properties and standards for hydrogen pipelines.
Long-term exposure to hydrogen can embrittle existing pipelines, increasing the potential for dangerous failures. NIST researchers will use the hydrogen laboratory to develop long-term service tests and apply them to study pipeline materials and mechanical effects. NIST is coordinating its research and safety plans with other national laboratories and industry groups that are working with hydrogen.
