Honda Civic Natural Gas

No longer just idle talk among financial speculators, the market for natural gas is set to take off, like a rocket, in both the private and public sector, as supplies reach historic levels, and prices are lower than they have been in almost 20 years.

Even engineers at the Argonne National Laboratory, the government-funded facility that is at the center of energy research, have publicly stated that they have shifted focus toward natural gas being the dominant alternative fuel for the next several decades. When compared to other vehicle propellants like ethanol and electricity, natural gas comes out on top due to its incredibly low cost and massive abundance.

An extremely informative film clip, linked below, gives all the details about why natural gas has suddenly come into prominence in the alternative fuel community. A Wall Street Journal discussion on the specifics is fascinating, as the hosts and their expert guest point toward a future where natural gas will be the best thing that has ever happened to the U.S. energy landscape.

A spokesperson for Argonne said that lowering vehicle emissions is indeed a worth goal, but that the lab is currently giving priority to national security concerns, and natural gas is clearly the way to go. Most experts in the field agree that the single biggest hurdle to widespread acceptance of CNG vehicles is infrastructure, though that could change in a heartbeat if financial backing can be arranged. Several high-profile investors have already come forward and begun to make plans for a huge national network of natural gas fuel stations.

For more on the topic of natural gas and the energy market in general, see the highly educational website of the Argonne National Laboratory. More than just a resource about alternative fuel research, the ANL site features extensive sections about the environment, energy news, safety, plus the latest in science and technology.
http://www.anl.gov/

Larry Bell

Larry Bell + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Author, but we call him ‘The Expert‘. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Expert Author. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

A solar car canopy

The Chicago Transit Authority, long an advocate for green energy initiatives, has just announced plans to use solar charging stations to juice up cars within its car-sharing program. The synergy of combining the carbon-reducing advantages of car sharing with zero emission solar power is a green double-whammy that might just be a first in the U.S. The city’s car sharing plan is currently run by non-profit corporation I-GO, which plans to install several solar canopy-charging points around the Chicago and Evanston areas. The Chicago Transit Authority is headed up by Forrest Claypool, who sees car sharing as a natural add-on for public transportation systems. The solar aspect will make an already green system even greener, and lead to much less CO2 in Illinois’s air.

In all, I-GO will oversee construction of almost 20 solar charging canopies, while adding 36 more cars to its car share brigade. All of the cars are electric vehicles. With this new addition to the fleet and charging capability, I-GO has set a record of sorts, now able to call itself the biggest user of solar power for electric vehicles in the U.S. Even without that accolade, the company is by far the largest car-sharing service in the Midwest. Adding uniqueness to uniqueness, the CTA has made a deal with I-GO whereby the two entities share a pass-card system for riders. No other city has such an arrangement with any private organization.

Another use for solar panels

The city of Chicago had, only two decades ago, ranked as one of the major metro areas in the U.S. for polluted air. Since a series of clean air initiatives and green legislative activity, the urban area has cleaned up its act to a large extent, now bragging that it has some of the freshest air of any large city in the country. Indeed, recent surveys of tourists to the area support the claim that Chicago is on its way to being one of the freshest cities in the U.S.

Larry Bell

Larry Bell + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Author, but we call him ‘The Expert‘. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Expert Author. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

Plug In America is a coalition of RAV4-EV drivers, former leasees of Honda EV+, GM EV1, Ford Ranger and Ford Th!nk City electric cars, and advocates of energy independence and clean air. Prior to 2008, they functioned as a loose network of individuals organized around various websites like dontcrush.com and saveEV1.com. They then coalesced into a chapter of the Electric Auto Association. On January 2, 2008, Plug In America became a separate California non-profit corporation. On August 18, 2008, They became an official 501(c)(3) public charity!

Leadership

Plug In America is led by a diverse group of experienced electric car advocates, each with a unique story about EVs. Meet our team.

Mission

Plug In America drives change. The objective is to accelerate the shift to plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce our nation’s dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment.

Promote

Battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles for the public to drive today

Visit http://www.pluginamerica.org/

Bob Twaalfhoven

Bob Twaalfhoven + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Owner and Visionary Creator, but people just call him “Bob T”.. Here is his full Bio: Bob Twaalfhoven. Bob lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Founder of BobCAD-CAM software. BobCAD-CAM was created by Bob, who was an engineer graduate of MIT in 1978. He created the software as a means to bring the technology of CAD/CAM to the personal computer. But overall – Bob is a lover of cars, engines and anything that is fast…