New York Governor George Pataki issued an executive order on Sunday that requires state agencies and public authorities to use more biodiesel in its vehicles and its heating plants. The order mandates that by 2007, the State’s diesel fleet must be using at least 2% biodiesel, with this percentage rising... Read more →

Salt Lake Tribune. The Utah Transit Authority is switching to a B20 biodiesel blend for its fleet. The transit agency, which serves Salt Lake City, Provo, Orem and surrounding counties, is in the final stages of negotiating a purchase agreement with an Ogden refinery to provide biodiesel for UTA’s bus... Read more →

Coal is to become the largest source of hydrogen starting around 2030. Click to enlarge. A report published this fall by Argonne National Laboratory analyzes potential hydrogen demand, production, and cost should the projected shift to a hydrogen-fueled transportation system occur. Among the conclusions is that coal will match natural... Read more →

Rypos self-regenerating electric DPF Rypos, the developer of developer of an electric-powered self-regenerating filter for large diesel engines, has recently introduced two active diesel emission filter product lines for engines whose output ranges from 100 kW to 2 MW—one to work with high-sulfur fuel, the other with low sulfur. Rypos’... Read more →

Hybrid Technologies, the maker of customized electric versions of production cars, has announced the purchase of an unspecified number of its electric versions of the Mini Cooper and Daimler Chrysler smart car by an unnamed $26-billion Fortune-500 company. The vehicles are scheduled for delivery by Q1 2006. The purchase involves... Read more →

The Senate has approved the preparation of a national coal-to-liquids development program. Proposed by Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) as an amendment to the Senate’s just-passed defense appropriations bill (S.1042), the language calls for the Department of Energy to prepare a development plan for the national coal-to-liquids program within 90 days... Read more →

Pete Nortman, President of EnergyCS, showing his PHEV Prius to symposium participants The “Public Power Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Symposium” wrapped up Friday in Los Angeles, where more than fifty key public power leaders from across the nation had convened at City of Los Angeles Department of Water and... Read more →

The European Parliament has adopted a report—Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change—by a vote of 450–66, with 143 abstentions. The adoption enables Parliament to present proposals for a future (i.e., post-Kyoto) climate change regime at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference. The core of the strategy in the... Read more →

Early Friday morning, the House narrowly passed a $50-billion budget-cutting measure (H.R. 4241) 217–215. The approved version does not contain the original provisions for opening up the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). It does contain language that lets mining companies buy public land again in the Rocky Mountain West and... Read more →

J. D. Power’s Information Network is reporting that auto sales for the first 13 days of November were down 15% versus the same period last year, according to Car Buyer’s Notebook. Compared to the disastrous results for automakers in October, when sales in the first nine days were down 33%,... Read more →

The more compact HES III Honda has officially introduced its third generation of a home combined heating, power and hydrogen system, the Home Energy Station III, in the US in conjunction with its partner Plug Power. Honda had previewed the HES III system at the Tokyo Motor show in October,... Read more →

The Star. Malaysia’s switch to bio-diesel will begin next year, at least one year ahead of schedule. Three federal ministries—Transport, Defence, and Primary Enterprises and Commodities—have volunteered to pilot the use of a B5 palm biodiesel blend (5% biodiesel). The Government’s initial plan was to introduce it in early 2007.... Read more →

Yonhap. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the third-largest carmaker in South Korea, said Friday it will start mass production next March of diesel engines that meet the Euro 4 emission standards. A subsidiary of Geneal Motors, and the manufacturer of the successful Matiz (Spark), GM Daewoo began pilot production... Read more →

State-owned Shenhua Group, China’s largest coal company, has completed 30% of the construction of the first phase of its major coal-to-liquids project at the Shenfu Dongsheng coalfields in Inner Mongolia. Production is scheduled to begin in 2007, with initial output of approximately 1 million tons per year, or about 840,000... Read more →

Bloomberg. Brazil is considering the possibility of building ethanol plants in Jamaica to have access to the US market without being hit with a standard import duty. Brazilian ethanol—made from sugar—costs less to produce and thus sells for less than US ethanol distilled form corn. Accordingly, the US taxes most... Read more →

Crystalline sheets produced in covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Credit: Adrien Côté Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a class of lightweight, rigid polymers that could serve as a new type of lightweight storage for hydrogen gas for use in fuel cell vehicles. The results appear in a paper... Read more →

HFS’ growing national presence Hybrid Fuel Systems (HFS) has formed a multi-state franchise network of companies to convert and then service gasoline and diesel engines to operate on natural gas or propane. At present, the Company has service and installation network members in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana,... Read more →

Syntroleum’s air-based FT process targets mid-size gas fields. Syntroleum has signed three different memoranda of understandings (MOU) that could lead to the construction of gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants using its proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technology in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Egypt. Syntroleum signed a MOU with the Government of Papua New Guinea... Read more →

(CP) A group of 18 CEOs from diverse Canadian companies or subsidiaries, including Alcan, BC Hydro, Shell Canada, E.I. Dupont Canada, Bombardier and Power Corp, have sent a joint letter to Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin supporting the Kyoto protocol and urging that Canada’s climate-change plan extend beyond the 2008-2012... Read more →

DaimlerChrysler and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) have announced their joint commitment to ensuring the availability and sustainable use of biofuels. In their statement, they emphasized the importance of a consistent global system of laws, policies, regulations and standards to enure maximizing the benefit of such fuels. The two made... Read more →

The fuel cell hybrid bus. Click to enlarge. SunLine Transit Agency unveiled its new fuel cell hybrid bus at the 2005 Fuel Cell Seminar. Part of the same project that produced the bus earlier shown by AC Transit (earlier post), the bus features an ISE Corp hybrid-electric drive system with... Read more →

Giving a progress report of the Group’s activities in Brazil at an event in Rio de Janeiro, Jean-Martin Folz, Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën, said that the group will introduce a diesel-hybrid prototype early in 2006. Folz, in keeping with remarks he made at the Frankfurt... Read more →

1 million+ NGVs in Brazil. The left Y axis marks monthly sales; the right Y axis the total. The GNV (Natural Gas Vehicle) Committee of IBP (Brazilian Petroleum and Gas Institute) has confirmed that Brazil has passed the one million mark for natural gas vehicles, reaching 1,000,424 by the end... Read more →

Japanese researchers have devised a low-cost, ecologically friendly solid catalyst for the production of biodiesel: a carbon catalyst produced from sugar, starch or cellulose. The team from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and the University of Tokyo reported their results in... Read more →

Bipartisan groups in the House and Senate today introduced their own versions of bills designed to reduce the consumption of oil through the promotion of fuel-efficient vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, and alternative fuels, primarily ethanol. (Earlier post.) The Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act, introduced by Senators Evan... Read more →

Bloomberg. Govenrment-owned Solid Energy New Zealand Ltd., the largest coal mining company in the country, is investigating a NZ$1 billion (US$685 million) Coal-to-Liquids project. It joins a lengthening list of energy companies either evaluating or building CTL projects worldwide. The company has spent the past two years assessing the feedstock... Read more →

Hydrogenics has introduced its new HyPM 500 family of fuel cell power modules, with or without integrated DC power options, and fuel cell power packs. The new series focuses on standardization—all Hydrogenics module sizes are now built around the 500 series stack. The company has also standardized certain desirable integrated... Read more →

Current and proposed biodiesel plants. Click to enlarge. (NBB) The National Biodiesel Board estimates US production of biodiesel will reach 75 million gallons in 2005, up three times from the 25 million gallons produced in 2004. There are currently 45 active biodiesel plants in the United States, with an average... Read more →

Work has begun on retrofitting 30 buses in Beijing with clean diesel technology under a collaboration between the US EPA, China’s State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and industry partners. The project hopes to use two different technologies for comparison purposes: diesel particulate filters with low-sulfur diesel fuel, and diesel oxidation... Read more →

Ford Motor has reached full-scale production of the Mariner Hybrid—its second hybrid vehicle on the market (earlier post)—at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. Initial production began in October. Ford pulled planned production of the Mariner hybrid ahead by a year as part of its stepped-up hybrid commitment. Lean and flexible... Read more →

General Motors is partnering with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to provide twenty E85-capable vehicles to residents of Reynolds, Indiana, to use for the next two years. Reynolds, the first BioTown, USA, is the pilot community in a project that strives to meet the majority of energy needs... Read more →

Yonhap. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the third-largest automaker in South Korea and now a subsidiary of GM (earlier post), plans to participate in the hydrogen fuel cell project being pushed by its parent. GM Daewoo will conduct a feasibility study on whether it can apply GM’s hydrogen fuel... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded Integrated Concepts & Research Corporation (ICRC), approximately $2.6 million in cooperative agreements to evaluate the use of Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel. All three cooperative agreements are for the demonstration and evaluation of the ultra-clean diesel fuel produced from natural gas by... Read more →

The Los Angeles County, California, Board of Supervisors is modifying its ten-year old Clean Fuels Program to make hybrids the standard for new non-emergency passenger sedans acquired to conduct routine County Business. The original Clean Fuels Program, approved in 1995, directed the transitioning of as many County-owned vehicles to clean... Read more →

Toyota Motor will introduce a smaller, more cost-efficient third-generation hybrid system in its vehicles from 2008, the Asahi daily reported on Wednesday. The new hybrid drive will be more powerful than the current version, featuring lighter batteries but delivering higher performance, according to the report. The automaker will also begin... Read more →

Canadian Hydrogen Energy Company (CHEC) used the annual SEMA show to launch a smaller version of its Hydrogen Fuel Injection System (HFI LT) targeted at passenger vehicles and Class 1 to Class 4 light trucks up to 7.3 liters in displacement. HFI introduces small amounts of hydrogen and oxygen, produced... Read more →

The CO2 pipeline route from synfuels plant to oilfield. DOE Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) co-funded Weyburn Project successfully sequestered five million tons of CO2 into the Weyburn Oilfield in Saskatchewan, Canada, while doubling the field’s oil recovery rate. The CO2 used in... Read more →

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in both the House and Senate tomorrow will introduce new legislation to cut US oil consumption by 2.5 million barrels a day over the next 10 years and significantly more thereafter. The legislation is reportedly based on the energy security blueprint proposed by the Set... Read more →

The proposed SMRrTRAM Village Technology is promoting its smart tram technology (SMRrTRAM) as a means to revitalize central business districts by making them as convenient to visit as shopping malls, while reducing gasoline consumption and emissions. The SMRrTram is a wheeled, bus-like series-hybrid or fuel-cell vehicle that operates at street... Read more →

The goal: a cleaner engine The first independent engine test facility of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES) has begun operations in Beijing. The facility, established with financial and technical support from BASF, will monitor fuel qualities in China. The facility will also do research for developing future... Read more →

A bi-partisan group of US Senators—Dick Lugar (R-IN), Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Barack Obama (D-IL)—have introduced a bill that would require all US-marketed gasoline-powered vehicles to be Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) within ten years. The Fuel Security and Consumer Choice Act (S.1994) would require 10% of vehicles sold in the... Read more →

Siemens and Bosch have been jointly awarded the German Future Prize 2005 for the development of piezo injection technology for use in diesel and gasoline engines. With piezo technology, fuel can be more precisely dosed when injected into an engine’s combustion chamber, considerably reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. In... Read more →

EarthFirst Americas (EFA), a wholly owned subsidiary of EarthFirst Technologies, has begun importing biodiesel to the US. The first shipment, which arrived at the Port of Tampa on November 8, 2005, contained 878 metric tons (267,790 gallons) of biodiesel and is believed to represent the single largest cargo of biodiesel... Read more →

Car of the Year Renault’s new Clio III has been named European Car of the Year by a jury of 58 motoring journalists from 22 European countries. Clio III scored 256 points, ahead of the VW Passat (251 points) and the Alfa Romeo 159 (212 points). A total of 28... Read more →

The US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) recently issued a joint solicitation for applications to support R&D projects in bioenergy and biofuels for fiscal year 2006. This is the fourth year in which the agencies have jointly solicited R&D projects under the Biomass Initiative. Combined, the two will... Read more →

Primary Kuwaiti oil and gas fields. Burgan is the second-largest field in the world. Click to enlarge.(Source: IEA) Kuwait’s Greater Burgan oil field, the second largest in the world behind Saudi Arabia’s giant Ghawar, apparently has hit peak production, according to Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) chairman and managing director Farouk... Read more →

The Optima Bus Opus diesel-electric series hybrid Vail Daily. The ski resort town of Avon, Colorado, is testing a diesel-electric series hybrid bus, the Opus hybrid from Optima Bus. Avon sits at the base of Beaver Creek Ski area and next to Vail. The Opus Hybrid is based on an... Read more →

Honda Brazil Honda is planning an 80% increase in the production capacity of its plant in São Paulo, Brazil, from 56,000 units to 100,000 by 2008. By the beginning of 2007, Honda Brazil will have bumped production to an interim 80,000-plus units. Honda estimates the total investment in expanding the... Read more →

Nikkei. Japanese automakers are planning to use new models of fuel-efficient cars to expand their share of the European market. Honda expects to increase its European sales of the 2006 Civic hybrid (earlier post) to 5,000 units in 2006, up from 2,000 units of the former model last year. Overall,... Read more →

Bloomberg. Automakers in China are on track to make and sell 6.4 million passenger cars, vans, buses and trucks in 2006, thereby surpassing Germany as the world’s third-largest vehicle maker (behind the US and Japan) according to a paper presented at a National Development and Reform Commission conference in Beijing.... Read more →