Secretary Steven Chu

Secretary Chu Announces Best Buy, Johnson Controls, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Veolia to Join National Clean Fleets Partnership!

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t spot an Alt Fuel Truck or delivery vehicle on the road. Regularly I have seen UPS Hybrid Trucks in my neighborhood, but yesterday I spotted an all-electric Fedex delivery truck. It looked like no Fedex Truck I had seen before. Last month I reported on spotting a Fedex Hybrid Truck which looks like a regular Fedex Truck except for the writing on the side indicating it was a Hybrid truck. It makes sense that certain fleet vehicles such as postal vehicles, parking meter attendants, Garbage Trucks,  local traffic enforcement, UPS, Fedex and short haul delivery vehicles and such should be the first to go Hybrid as such vehicles are constantly subject to stop and go driving.

Check out this link for information about what our government is doing to make our cities cleaner and who has already joined the partnership:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/national_partnership.html

Here is a press announcement that indicates that soon we will see thousands more such vehicles in our neighborhood:

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that four new corporate partners – Best Buy, Johnson Controls, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Veolia – are joining the Energy Department’s National Clean Fleets Partnership, a broad public-private partnership that assists the nation’s largest fleet operators in reducing the amount of gasoline and diesel they use nationwide. The new partners announced today join with 14 other major national companies in committing to improve the fuel economy of the commercial fleets, integrate alternative technology vehicles like natural gas trucks and electric vehicles into their fleets, and reduce their overall fuel use.  Collectively, the National Clean Fleets Partners operate more than a million commercial vehicles nationwide, accounting for more than 12 percent of all commercial vehicles on American roads.

Secretary Chu announced the new partners at Green Truck Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana, during which he discussed the Obama Administration’s investments in fuel-efficient technologies for commercial vehicles and truck fleets.

Fedex all electric truck

“As part of the President’s all-of-the-above approach to reducing fuel costs for American consumers and businesses, the National Clean Fleets Partnership helps leading U.S. companies reduce their fuel use, save money, and become models for fleets across the nation to improve their efficiency,” said Secretary Steven Chu. “By adopting alternative fuels, advanced vehicles and by making their operations smarter and more fuel-efficient, these national partners are increasing their competitiveness and helping to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.”

The Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with NTEA’s Work Truck Show, is known for offering cutting-edge solutions at the forefront of technology, and has become the leading educational forum on how the “green revolution” impacts work trucks, including delivery vans, service trucks and garbage trucks. NTEA, the Association for the Work Truck Industry, represents nearly 1,600 companies that manufacture, distribute, install, sell and repair commercial trucks, truck bodies, truck equipment, trailers and accessories.

The National Clean Fleets Partnership, first announced by President Obama last April, aims to speed the deployment of clean, energy-efficient vehicles and the infrastructure to support their widespread use nationwide.  This public-private partnership helps large companies reduce diesel and gasoline use in their fleets by incorporating alternative fuels, electric vehicles, and fuel-saving measures into their daily operations. This announcement represents another major step towards reducing fuel use and achieving greater efficiency and cost-savings for the nation’s largest commercial vehicle fleets.

Under the partnership, Energy Department experts provide each company with specialized resources, technical expertise, and support in developing a comprehensive strategy to reduce fuel use and achieve greater efficiency and cost-savings. The Department also helps connect partners with clean fuel providers and equipment manufacturers where their fleets operate.

The new partners announced today have already begun taking action to develop and implement fuel-efficiency projects in their fleets, including:

Best Buy – With more than 20,000 Geek Squad agents, Best Buy closely manages their fleet of approximately 5,000 vehicles. Since 2009, Best Buy has reduced its carbon emissions from fuel use by 21 percent.  The reduction was achieved through decreased engine sizes, deployment of the smallest, most fuel-efficient vehicles for the job, and elimination of underutilized assets. Best Buy is testing both electric and propane vehicles and has piloted telematics technology to help further reduce fuel use. Best Buy joined the partnership in March 2012.

Johnson Controls, Inc. – Johnson Controls has committed to design and deliver increasingly sustainable products, services and solutions that will help its customers improve their energy efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint, and achieve their environmental goals. The company has implemented several greenhouse gas reduction strategies in its global fleet of 19,000 vehicles worldwide. Beginning in 2009, the U.S. fleet introduced hybrid vehicles. The fleet today runs more than 500 hybrid vehicles, which each reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent. In 2011, it deployed 20 all-electric vans, which are estimated to achieve a 61 percent GHG reduction per vehicle. Other strategies include the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) vans, and higher mileage vans and trucks. In 2012, Johnson Controls will pilot the use of telematics and continue with the deployment of additional alternative fuel vehicles, including propane-fueled units.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company – With more than 3,100 on-road alternative fuel and high efficiency vehicles, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) operates one of the greenest utility fleets in the nation. Since 1995, PG&E’s alternative fuel fleet has displaced nearly 7 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel and helped prevent more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. In 2007, PG&E was the first utility to demonstrate the ability of electric vehicles to supply homes and businesses with power. PG&E joined the partnership in March 2012.

UPS Low emision Hybrid

Veolia Environmental Services – The Solid Waste division of Veolia Environmental Services maintains a fleet of more than 3,000 trucks, heavy equipment, and support vehicles. The company is dedicated to reducing petroleum use and emissions through route optimization, alternative fuels, and hybridization. As of 2012, the company operates four CNG fueling stations and more than 100 CNG refuse-collection and support vehicles. Veolia joined the partnership in December 2011.

Visit HERE for an update on the current National Clean Fleets Partners and additional background on the initiative.

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…

 

Q: 

A:   Diesel particulate matter (PM) can penetrate deep into the lungs and pose serious health risks, including lung cancer, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, and increased respiratory symptoms. According to the California Air Resources Board, diesel exhaust contains over 40 known cancer-causing substances and contributes to approximately 3,500 premature deaths per year. In addition, diesel soot causes visibility reduction and is a potent greenhouse agent involved in global warming.

I don’t know about you, but when I read something like this I gain a bit more confidence about the importance of what we are doing here.

This is just one of the questions and its answer that I found on the web site of  “Ironman” http://www.ironmanparts.com/. You should check out what these guys are about.

We at MyPerfectAutomobile.com spend the majority of our time concentrating on the automotive industry as it applies to us as individual drivers and the type of cars we should look at that may be more economical, ultimately save us a few bucks on gas, help us be a bit less dependent on foreign oil and clean up the air/environment some.

This Ironman group are there to make a real, significant impact on where it counts. The fleets of trucks and buses that are out there on the road that must be and stay in compliance with the state.

“Compliance regulations and requirements are complex and are not always well understood. Our goal at Ironman is to provide our customers with Emission Compliance with Confidence® and to simplify as much as we can the many complexities and challenges that compliance managers and fleet owners face”.

Challenges Fleet Owners Face

Fleet owners are affected by CARB regulations and must install Verified Diesel Emission Control Systems (VDECS). However, they must also meet annual reporting and record-keeping requirements, in addition to various other requirements from retrofit manufacturers and installers.

Keeping up with all of these requirements can be a difficult and time-consuming task. Every piece of information must be recorded, organized and easily accessible for when the time comes to report to CARB or to respond to an audit.

Storing data in excel spreadsheets or other document types, creates room for file duplication and outdated versions, compromising the integrity of the data. Another challenge? Compiling an entire fleet list in a complete and accurate manner (hard to find engine tags, faded numbers on VIN labels, etc.). So once you have your fleet database established and complete, you want to ensure that it remains safely stored, neatly organized and structured, as well as easy to find!

This group has facilities all over the state of California to help everything move along smoothly with the current technology that is driving the vehicles that are in motion on our highways and byways at this time.  If you are in a situation that they can assist you with, use them. If not, appreciate them for what they are doing to help our cause.

Ideally, all of the “fleets” would be powered by electricity, as some are now, but until that transition is done, I herald the presents and efforts of “Ironman”. Not a “Superhero”, but they are, none the less, super heros!

Larry Judkin

Larry Judkin + is My Perfect Automobile’s General Manager, but people call him Lar’. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Co-owner of My Perfect Automobile. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

    

Jeep Grand Cherokee: Electric if you so desire

It is a thing of beauty. An all-wheel-drive SUV crunching through the snow, powered on pure, zero-emission electricity. So ground-breaking is the concept of electric SUV’s that Ohio’s Senator Sherrod Brown referred to this SUV’s makers, Amp Electric Vehicles, when he recently said, “The reason that the auto industry came back after the auto rescue of a couple years ago is because of the kind of innovation that Amp and others do.”

That is high praise, indeed, considering the state of the industry several years back. Brown’s comments came as he was attending the Detroit Auto Show last week to witness the unveiling of the world’s first 100 percent electric, all-wheel-drive SUV at Amp‘s display area. While the major car manufacturers have to spend billions (with a “b”) to create a single electric model, Amp Electric Vehicles produces several. The company is small, lean, and thus economically agile enough to produce OEM electric vehicles that can be ordered directly from a dealership, with full factory warranties just as with any new car.

Sure, a short video of an SUV frolicking in the snow might seem like a simple thing to the untrained eye, but if you know the long road Amp traversed to put those wheels in motion, you would have a deep appreciation for what the company does. When people talk about the American Dream, this is the kind of endeavor to which they refer, a small group of professionals who begin with an ambitious idea and turn it into reality.

Amp’s test-drive vehicles were among the most popular attractions at the Detroit NAIAS indoor demo track, as members of the press and public took a spin in their gorgeous, all-electric SUVs. The company’s story is unique, inspiring, and educational. Take a look at their website, check out all the other awesome electric vehicles they create, watch some of the videos, and enjoy a piece of American history in the making.

More at: http://www.ampelectricvehicles.com

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…

DETROIT: Five years ago, Bob Lutz introduced the Chevrolet Volt to the world in Detroit, a car that went on to serve as the United States’ first foray into the electric-car demographic. On Tuesday, three years later, he stood in front of curious onlookers at the 2012 NAIAS in Detroit and introduced a line of extended-range electric fleet vehicles produced by Via Motors.

Lutz’s career has spanned much longer than this, of course. His work at Via Motors, for which he serves as a member of the board of directors, actually comes as he is “retired.” But his career before this has spanned parts of six decades in all three major U.S. automakers — Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. He’s seen the auto industry at its best and worst, and even helped resurrect Chrysler back to profitability after its first bailout from the U.S. government in 1979.

Now, he’s on the board of Via Motors, a company that produces electric versions of GM trucks, vans and SUVs. Via Motors vehicles have a range between 40 to 50 miles before its gas engine kicks in, if needed. For now, it’s marketing to fleets, but consumers could see the vehicles by 2013.

The International Business Times spoke with Lutz on Tuesday about Via Motors’ plans, the state of the U.S. auto industry and more.

International Business Times: Can you talk about your relationship with Via Motors and some of the new features of their electric-range trucks, vans and SUVs?

Bob Lutz: I’m a board member of Via, so I’m not a member of active management. But I am very excited about the company, because this is the first time that anybody has done extended-range electric vehicles on full-size pickup trucks, vans and sport utilities.

It makes sense for a couple of reasons. One: These are the size of vehicles that America really likes. The U.S. industry sells millions of pickups a year. Secondly, if you’re going to save fuel by electrification technology, it makes the most sense to electrify the vehicles that use the most fuel, which again are your full-size pickups and sport utilities.

Thirdly, the reason I think these things are really going to be popular is that each one of these vehicles is going to be a mobile-generating set. So carpenters, plumbers, tile-layers, loggers — anybody who needs electrical power at the job site, all they have to do is drive their electrical pickup to the job site and plug right in. That’s of enormous value.

There’s a lot of interest from public-utility fleets and large corporate fleets like Coca-Cola and so forth. I think this concept is going to be very successful.

IBT: You’ve said before that electric vehicles are the way of the future in the auto industry. When can you see vehicles like these being marketed to consumers?

BL: Well, people are going to have to pay a premium. There will be private people who will want a Via version of a Cadillac Escalade, because they like to own a big sport utility but at the same time, they want to appear responsible. We’ll sell some of those.

And I think a lot of private people who go on vacation trips, camping trips, hunting trips and so forth will want a Via pickup or sport utility as privately owned vehicle. But that’s not the market Via is going after initially. I will tell you, Via can live for years off the fleet demand.

IBT: How did this compare to introducing the Chevy Volt?

BL: It’s interesting. When we did the Volt, nobody believed it in 2007. I think about it, and I hate to say it, but I think this makes even more sense than the Chevy Volt. Because with the Chevy Volt, we were doing a small electric vehicle based on a vehicle that gets 40 miles per gallon anyway. Here, we’re going electric with vehicles that get 14 or 15 miles per gallon. The saving is much greater.

The other thing with the Volt is that you have to convince Americans to get into smaller vehicles, which is gradually happening anyway. But if you look at the average American and the mainstream American, their real heart’s desire is a big pickup truck or sports utility. One of the reasons I’m excited about this is that this ensures the future of the big sport utilities and pickup trucks. Otherwise, with the new mandates for fuel economy, they were going to go away.

IBT: As someone with a lot of experience in the U.S. auto industry, where do you see it trending in the next year?

BL: I’m very optimistic about the short- and medium-term of the American auto industry. I think Chrysler, Ford and GM, all three have their acts together, doing the best products possibly of their history.

At the same time, we’re sort of witnessing kind of a slowdown by some of the big Japanese producers. Now, you go into a show and you look at medium-size cars — you look at the new Chevy Malibu and the new Ford Fusion. And then you go over and pull open the doors on new Japanese medium-size cars. And who’s got the best interiors? The American cars now have by far the most beautiful interior. Ten years ago it was exactly the opposite. So I’m very optimistic about the future of Detroit.

Visit www.viamotors.com for more information!

Larry Judkin

Larry Judkin + is My Perfect Automobile’s General Manager, but people call him Lar’. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Co-owner of My Perfect Automobile. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

    

Bob Lutz

Tradition, Experience, and SUVs

Bob Lutz, the man behind the Chevy Volt, is now a senior member of the Via Motors management team. Via is strategically positioning itself in the industry to be the leading manufacturer of the world’s next generation of electrified transportation options. Trucks, SUVs, and vans are all part of the mix. Lutz himself is on record as stating that in all his years of experience with auto giants BMW, Ford, GM, and Chrysler, he considers the Volt as the “most important” car of all.

Via Motors CEO Kraig Higginson, who is revved up (no pun intended) to have netted industry icon Lutz for the Via Motors team, sees a growing market for electrified trucks, “the work horse of America,” as Lutz calls them.

Higginson points to one of the many advantages of the company’s hybrid-electric trucks, saying that not only are they more economical to own and operate than gas models, but each year they will become more of an economic asset as fuel prices inevitably rise and battery prices drop. In fact, the Via Motors business model’s win-win formula is not only good for the bottom line, but serves the environment well. Via’s COO Alan Perriton, another GM alum, mentions this tantalizing fact: “Electrifying one truck is like taking two small cars off the road.”

Via Motors builds electrified versions of trucks, vans and SUVs by way of a pre-order system through its website. While the first wave of deliveries will be for fleet orders of 50 vehicles or more, consumer deliveries will begin in 2013. To see the Via Motors model offerings, visit their website at: http://www.viamotors.com. For an extensive biographical sketch of Bob Lutz, detailing his many years as a key player at the very highest levels of the auto industry, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lutz_%28businessman%

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…

Via's eREV extended cab pickup

Via Motors, the Utah company that manufactures, develops and sells a line of electric SUVs and trucks will premiere its new electric pickup truck at the upcoming NAIAS, also known as the Detroit Motor Show. Founded in 2010, the company has made numerous headlines this past year with its EV lineup as well as the addition of Bob Lutz to its personnel list. Lutz is one of the most famous names in the automobile business worldwide; having been a Vice Chairman and Special Advisor at General Motors until his retirement in 2010, the same year Via was established.

Lutz, who is often referred to as the ‘father of the Chevy Volt’ due to his involvement with that car’s creation and development, will introduce Via’s new electric models at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In all, the company will debut three brand new vehicles, namely a 4×4 SUV, a cargo van, and a pickup truck. Lutz will officially introduce the three Via models just after noon, EST on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Detroit show.

Each of the three vehicles is capable of driving for up to 40 miles purely on electric, lithium-ion battery power. The batteries feature flame resistant components. After that, another 400 miles can be coaxed out of the engines via an onboard generating system similar to the one in the Chevy Volt. The company says that average fuel efficiency for the three models will be in the 100 mpg vicinity.

Initially, Via is taking orders for the 2012 lineup only from fleet customers, but later on will likely accept orders from individual buyers. Via spokespersons say the company hopes to reach production levels of 20,000 vehicles each year between now and approximately 2015. Lutz previously introduced the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Viper when he was one of the top members of GM’s management team.

For more information about Via Motors, see the company’s website at: http://www.viamotors.com

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…

Fedex Hybrid Diesel Truck

In 2000, as passenger hybrid cars were just beginning to grow in popularity, FedEx teamed with Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on an ambitious project to make the standard delivery truck more environmentally friendly.
 
At the time, a handful of companies had tested cleaner vehicle technology, such as hybrids, but few had made commitments to add them to their commercial fleets. FedEx had long sought efficiencies in fleet operations to reduce fuel use and pollution, but recognized that advanced technology had the potential to greatly enhance those benefits.
 
FedEx work with EDF was a collaborative effort. The process began by clearly defining its goals for the vehicle: (1) improve environmental performance, (2) maintain or improve operational performance and (3) increase market share for clean delivery vehicles. To achieve this final goal, FedEx decided the technology would not be proprietary and would work with EDF to advocate for more adoption.
 
A request for proposal was issued to the industry, and FedEx and EDF selected Eaton Corporation and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation to build the FedEx hybrid-electric truck. One year later, the first available commercial hybrid delivery truck was placed into service on FedEx routes. The hybrid trucks improve fuel economy by 42 percent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent and cut particulate pollution by 96 percent.
 
Today, the success story for cleaner truck technology continues. Worldwide, FedEx Express is operating 408 vehicles with drive train configurations other than the standard diesel/gasoline-burning power sources. Forty-three of them are all-electric and 365 are hybrid diesel-electric or gasoline-electric. Those 408 have driven over 9.5 million miles, reducing fuel use by almost 276,000 gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2,800 metric tons. The FedEx hybrid vehicle project has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Harvard University and WestSTART-CALSTART for its role in spurring hybrid truck advancements.

The effort has also helped spur expansion of the technology in the market. While FedEx once sourced hybrids from only one supplier, today FedEx uses technologies from seven different companies — Eaton Corporation, Isuzu, Azure Dynamics and Iveco. In 2005 FedEx had the only 18 hybrid commercial vehicles on the road.  Now it has 330 and there are over 1,700 hybrid delivery trucks on the road in the U.S., used by a wide variety of companies.
 
FedEx has continued its role as a leader in the industry by encouraging more companies to purchase and develop clean-technology trucks. Its vehicle experts have participated in numerous industry conferences and gatherings to educate companies about the benefits of cleaner truck technology. FedEx has also championed the need for a smaller engine for application in hybrid vehicles following the 2007 EPA federal engine standard to replace the existing larger, less efficient engine.
 
FedEx recognizes that government support will give a major boost to this technology. FedEx is the only transportation company to publicly call for fuel efficiency standards for commercial medium and heavy-duty truck classes. In addition, FedEx has been an advocate for government incentives at the national, state and local levels to offset the higher capital costs of cleaner vehicles while the market is developing, and its CEO and Chairman Frederick W. Smith has testified numerous times before Congress regarding the electrification of transportation.
 
There remains tremendous potential for growth in the cleaner vehicle technology market. Mitch Jackson, vice president of environmental affairs and sustainability at FedEx explains, “It’s time for the truck manufacturing industry to create its version of the Prius: clean, affordable and widely available for truck fleets.”
 

Fedex Green Vehicle in Paris

The integration of cleaner vehicles into its fleet has extended beyond hybrids and across a number of markets.

• Among these vehicles are 43 all-electric commercial vehicles deployed in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York City and Paris.
• FedEx has 365 hybrid-electric delivery vehicles, including an all-hybrid station in New York City.
• FedEx operates 58 trucks fueled by CNG (compressed natural gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas), and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), in Europe, the Asia Pacific and Latin America.
• FedEx has more than 320 LPG and electric-powered ground support equipment in use at the CDG hub in Paris and other operational facilities across Europe, with another 55 on order. 
• FedEx is a founding member of CAREX in France, an association committed to using rail as an alternative logistics solution to deliver European express cargo, thus reducing noise and carbon emissions.
• In Japan, FedEx teamed with General Motors in the test operations of a fuel-cell delivery vehicle for one year.
• FedEx Ground is working with Parker Hannifin Corporation to test a hybrid hydraulic technology on a heavier class vehicle (Class 6).
• FedEX operates biodiesel trucks on routes in the Washington, D.C., area as well as hybrid electric trucks.
• FedEx Office uses 7 hybrid passenger vehicles to support its sales and delivery operations.
• FedEx operates a large number of electric and alternative-fuel support vehicles worldwide, including more than 500 forklifts and 1,600 ground equipment units at airports.
• Couriers in New York City and in London’s West End deliver many of their packages on foot, reducing vehicle emissions and traffic congestion, and in Paris FedEx has an electric tricycle delivery vehicle.

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…

 

A Nissan NV200 van

Nissan will unveil two headline-grabbing models at the upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Unconfirmed reports from several news outlets point to a hybrid version of the company’s hugely popular Pathfinder, as well as an oddity that no one expected, an electric van. Right now, Nissan provides a few electric NV200 vans to FedEx for testing purposes. Other sources claim that there will be an electric Nissan van offered to taxi fleets in New York in 2017.

All the tidbits of information surrounding the upcoming Detroit show are enough to dizzy a prospective car buyer. Regardless of rumors and whispers, there will definitely be at least a concept version of an electric van and a totally redesigned Pathfinder on display. The latter, which came out in 1986, has not seen a style update for more than five years. Thus, this new concept Pathfinder SUV is greatly anticipated by press and public, and is expected to hit showroom floors in late 2012. That’s rather quick for a so-called “concept” to go up for sale, but it shows how far along Nissan is with its plans for these two entries. If Pathfinder has a hybrid model, and the company sells an electric van anytime soon, Nissan could find itself with three of the best selling alternative vehicles on the market, namely Leaf, Pathfinder, and the electric van.

An NV200 open for business

The prospective EV van is built on the Leaf’s drive train and battery pack system. At the Detroit show, Nissan intends to parade one of the vehicles around the concourse to tout its quick-charge, “80 percent in 30 minutes” capability. The FedEx versions of the van currently being tested in London are, essentially, Nissan Leaf power trains fitted with commercial cargo bodies.

For more information, click the hyperlinks below:
Nissan

FedEx

The Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS)

Nissan’s line of NV vans

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…

London Double Decker Bus

London Mayor Boris Johnson took a ride on one of his city’s brand new, emissions-slashing double-deckers Friday, calling the bus “the latest, greatest masterpiece of British engineering and design.”  The buses are inspired by the classic red Routemaster double-deckers that had been an iconic part of the London cityscape since the 1960s, until being phased out in the mid-2000s by former Mayor Ken Livingston. Manufactured by Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus and designed by London’s Heatherwick Studio, the new buses are powered by Volvo’s heavy-duty hybrid technology program.

Transport for London will be testing eight of the new hybrid Routemasters next year. Once the kinks are worked out, Mayor Johnson hopes to unleash a full fleet of them on London’s streets in the coming years.

Though technical details about the new buses are sparse, in 2009, Volvo collaborated with another bodywork firm to create a double-decker for the private London bus contractor, Arriva.

London Bus goes Hybrid

That bus was based on Volvo’s B5L parallel hybrid system which offered 25-percent fuel savings over a standard diesel engine. The new Wrightbus-manufactured models unveiled by Transport for London last week are said to greatly improve on that figure, providing better than double the fuel economy of a regular bus (an impressive 11.6 mpg,) and half the emissions.

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…

 

Following in the footsteps of countless municipalities and federal government agencies, private company United Parcel Service has just purchased 100 electric delivery trucks, which will be added to its California operational fleets. While it is one of the world’s largest non-governmental users of electric and hybrid trucks, UPS is just beginning the push to convert its huge delivery contingent to alternative fuels.

UPS is buying the units from Stockton, Calif. Company Electric Vehicles International, whose spokespersons said that this transaction marks the largest buy of zero-emission vehicles in the state’s history. What is not widely known is that this deal was more than two years in the making, with UPS performing extensive testing and feasibility studies on its own to make certain that the move was a wise one.

The walk-in trucks, to be put in action in 2012, will have a 90-mile range and reduce UPS’s traditional fuel usage by over 120,000 gallons each year.

Electric Vehicles International CEO, Ricky Hanna, mentioned that several state and federal agencies helped move the deal along by providing significant monetary incentives. He also alluded to the fact that the deal may never have happened if it weren’t for UPS’s dedication to alternative fuels and environmental improvement. UPS Director of Maintenance and Engineering, Mike Britt, reiterated the financial incentive aspect of the interchange, saying, “EVI is aggressive at identifying and utilizing incentive funding to assist customers with fleet modernization deployments.”

EVI has been in the business of alternative energy for more than two decades, producing both all-electric and hybrid drive vehicles. The company exclusively uses valence lithium phosphate batteries, which allow for longer drive range, minimal operating expense, and increased life span compared to older-generation lithium batteries. The company’s mission is three-fold: EVI provides its customers with the best alternative fuel vehicles in the world, offers meticulous customer service, and constantly works to improve the environment.

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…