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ALTERNATIVE FUELS & VEHICLES NATIONAL CONFERENCE + EXPO MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009
Alt Fuel History Is MadeAT&T pledges up to $565 million for altfuel vehicles, with some $350 million forCNG. BAF reports a five-year contract,starting with 600 Ford vans converted todedicated CNG this year. —Page 3
SCR for Westport HD’s GXEngine formerly known as the ISX will getSCR to meet 2010 NOx limits. —Page 4
EVI Eyes California SitesResurgent manufacturer of road-ready, battery electric trucks looks to expand assembly to California. —Page 4
Propane’s Strong YearThe school bus business is going well andconversion provider Roush boosts productofferings and availability. —Page 6
Biomethane ArrivesYears of promise, and now a reality with atleast two AF&V 2009 exhibitors pumpingthe greenest of fuels. —Pages 6 & 9
Are We Stimulated Yet?Governments are throwing unprecedentedamounts of money at the clean vehiclesindustry. The huge federal stimulus pack-age has overshadowed California, whichhad already acted and is now picking up itspace so that its programs may be used toleverage funding from the feds. —Page 10
The economy has been awful thisyear and the evidence is everywhere.
Cutbacks are rife. The big guys havebecome tentative (you know who youare). The little guys, the entrepreneurs,the visionaries, are stepping up.
People are finding out who they are. OEMs got a shot in the arm as
President Obama pledged GSA tobuy 17,600 new vehicles this spring,
including 2,500 hy-brids by April 15.
But as the econ-omy recovers andwith it the price offuel (it’s already rising), and climatechange pressures mount, will theworld flock back to the big guys? Orwill the diverse transportation en-ergy landscape of the future be dom-
inated by the daring entrepreneurswho are fast making their pres-ence known? We salute thelittle guys. They won’tbe little for long.
Worst of Times or Best of Times
The Odyne name and plug-in drivetrain line has beenabsorbed by its biggest customer, Dueco. –Booth 335
Most of the many companies offering natural gas andpropane conversions would like to see certification pro-cedures eased. The State of Utah has even made a for-mal request of the U.S. EPA, urging approvals ofvehicle families rather than specific models,
and making year-to-year certification continuity simpler. A veri-table Who’s Who of the aftermarket conversion business dis-cussed the issue here Sunday. —See Page 5
Clean Energy is showing two important vehicles at AF&V 2009: the MV-1 by Vehicle Products Group, which is thefirst purpose-built taxi with CNG as a factory option, and a Chevy E3500 shuttle converted to CNG by California’sCreative Bus Sales for The Parking Spot — which may convert some 250 vehicles to CNG at 19 airport locations (14are in service and 28 more on order). At the show yesterday are VPG’s MV-1 program chief Leo Darocha, Peter Graceand Barbara Johnson of Clean Energy, Marc Klein, Mary Jane Miranda and Don Apruzzese of VPG, Annalloyd Thomason of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (your AF&V 2009 host), Mark Matijevich of Creative, Dave Myers of Luxfer(CNG tanks for the TPS shuttles), John Gaydash of VPG, and lead show organizer Kimberly Taylor of AFVi. —Pages 4 & 7
CNG With
out C
ompro
mise
Clea
n En
ergy
Boo
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Conversions Made Easier?
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Welcome to the 2009 Alternative Fuel& Vehicle National Conference andExpo. This is one of the most im-portant meetings in the country toshowcase the latest thinking to moveAmerica away from imported oil as itsprincipal transportation fuel.
America continues to import nearly70% of the oil we use. Every expertin the fuels industry understands thatwhen the world economies begin torecover, oil prices will go right backup to the $100 per barrel level — or more.
That means $3-4 per gallon gasoline and $4-5 gallon diesel. It also means continued dependence on countries like Saudi Arabia,Venezuela, Angola and Nigeria.Countries which are unstable, un-friendly, or both.
We have an abundance of naturalgas which is the only resource whichcan replace imported diesel on thescale necessary. Studies of moderndrilling techniques to recover natural
gas from shale deposits under Texas,Louisiana, Arkansas and Appalachiatell us we have well over a 100-yearsupply of natural gas.
The two most widely distributedresources in America are natural gasand water. Gas lines run up everystreet and down every alley in thecountry making it readily available foreverything from passenger cars andlight trucks, to 18-wheelers, refuseand recycling trucks, and any otherwheeled vehicle which can burn im-ported gasoline or diesel.
Hats off to AT&T for its recent an-nouncement that it will replace some
8,000 of its fleet — one of the largestprivate fleets in the United States —with trucks running on natural gas.Other companies will follow AT&T’slead and the momentum toward nat-ural gas will continue to build.
I am a believer in natural gas, but Iam in favor of anything Americanwhich will reduce our dependence onforeign oil.
As battery technology is improvedwe should work hard to get autos andlight trucks onto battery power. Buta battery won’t move an 18-wheeler.Hydrogen fuel cells show great prom-ise, but large-scale availability is years— or decades — away.
We have businesses to run — today.We have goods to move — today. Wehave deliveries and pick-ups which arescheduled — today.
We cannot and will not allow oureconomic, environmental, and na-tional security future to be depend-ent on hoping that other countriesplay fair. There is nothing fair aboutthe way OPEC operates. They wantto raise oil prices to $75 per barrel byartificially controlling supplies.
Russia shut off natural gas suppliesto much of Europe in the depths ofwinter a couple of months ago over aprice disagreement with Ukraine.
Mexico is running out of oil andin five years will be a net oil importer.
China is buying up oil fromVenezuela for delivery as soon as itsrefining capacity can handle it.
India has the second fastest grow-ing middle class in the world — andthey all want cars, air conditioning,and television sets.
We cannot allow Middle Eastern,Asian, African or South American na-tions decide our energy future.
Our energy future is in our ownhands. There is a saying that the besttime to have planted a tree is 20 yearsago. The second-best time is today.
Your attendance at the AlternativeFuel & Vehicle National Conferenceand Expo is planting a tree which willbear fruit for you, your family, yourcompany and your country.
Enjoy, learn, and then go home andtake action. —Boone Pickens
Hear Boone Pickens at this morning’sbreakfast and general session
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In one of the most important alter-native fuel vehicle developmentsever, AT&T said last month that itwill invest as much as $565 millionto expand its fleet of alternative fuelvehicles to more than 15,000 by2019 — and that it will spend an es-timated $350 million on 8,000 com-pressed natural gas vehicles.
More than 800 AFVs are to beplaced this year. Most are expectedto be Ford vans.
BAF Technologies looks to be thebig winner, as it presently reporteda five-year contract with AT&T,starting with some 600 vans this year.
“This program will soon be the
standard other companies will fol-low,” said BAF president John Baker.
BAF had previously suppliedAT&T with 25 CNG vans for tri-als. The testing “reaffirmed our be-lief that a mix of solutions is rightfor our fleet,” fleet operations areamanager Katie Dugan told Show-Times affiliate Fleets & Fuels.
“It showed us that CNG is a vi-able technology,” she said, “cheaper,cleaner and readily available.”
“We have one of the largest cor-porate fleets in the country,” fleetoperations VP Jerome Webber saysin an AT&T sustainability release.“We want to use the size of our fleetand our buying power to signal tothe industry that we’re interested inalternative fuel vehicles,” he said.
“The vehicles will be acquiredthrough AT&T’s traditional capitalpurchase program,” Dugan said.“AT&T did not plan on any fund-ing programs that might have come
from the stimulus package when wemade our decision late last year tomake such a large commitment.”
Beyond this year’s 600, AT&T isexpected to deploy approximately1,850 CNG vans per year from2010 to 2013. Also expected is ademonstration program for Ford F-350 trucks which could lead to aneven larger order. BAF has an in-ventory of CNG cylinders fromItaly’s Faber, having used the Type Isteel tanks for AT&T vans thus far.
“We plan to help build up to 40new fueling depots to support thenew CNG vehicles,” Dugan says.
“We expect to build between oneand two fuel depots this year to sup-port the 600 CNG vans that will bedeployed by the end of this year.”Public access stations are possible.
Questions? Webber will speakat the Fuel with a Plan: Natural GasComing to a Fleet Near You session inSwan 7/8 tomorrow afternoon.
Boone Pickens
The Man with the Plan, for Energy Independence
AT&T Makes Historic Alt Fuels CommitmentPublisherKirk Fetzer
EditorRich Piellisch
PhotographerMel Lindstrom415-378-6159
Production DesignerMaureen Spuhler
ShowTimes at Alternative Fuels & VehiclesConference & Expo 2009
Disney Swan & Dolphin ResortAsia 2 (Dolphin)
News Coverage by:
Printed by:Central Florida Press
ShowTimes is published live at Alternative Fuels &Vehicles Conference & Expo 2009 by
Convention & Tradeshow News.Advertising Department: (415) 979-1414
Editorial Department: (415) 896-5988www.CTNPublishing.com
© Copyright 2009 by Convention & Tradeshow News.All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be
reproduced in any form without permission.Reprints available upon request.
April 20, 2009 Convention & Tradeshow News
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MV-1, First Purpose-Built CNG Taxi,Also First to Meet ADA GuidelinesVehicle Products Group is showing itsMV-1 paratransit vehicle for the firsttime anywhere at Booth 334, noting thatit’s the first purpose-built taxi designedwith a factory CNG option.
The vehicle is “the most cost-effec-tive paratransit solution that meets theneeds of both ambulatory and mobil-ity impaired passengers,” VPG says.
The vehicle has a powered wheel-chair ramp and the biggest door open-ings in the business, says VPGmarketing chief Don Apruzzese.
It meets all of the guidelines asso-ciated with the Americans with Dis-abilities Act of 1990, he says.
It will cost “substantially” less thana conventional vehicle converted toCNG, he promises.
Placement of three Type III CNGcylinders under the rear seat and cargoarea yields 25.7 cubic feet of rear lug-gage space.
The three tanks hold the CNG
equivalent of 20 gasoline gallons, mak-ing for a single-fill range of 250 miles.
Turning radius of 36 feet is six feetshorter than the Ford Crown Victoriasedan, says VPG partner Marc Klein.
Both gasoline and CNG versions ofthe MV-1 are powered by GM’s 4.3-liter Vortec V-6 engine.
Work is already underway to secureboth U.S. EPA and California AirResources Board certification, engi-neer Leo Darocha told ShowTimes.
The new vehicle, developed withsome $10 million in support fromClean Energy, will be built by assem-bly partner AM General on a formerHummer line in Indiana.
It’s to enter service in the secondquarter of 2010.
After AF&V 2009, the MV-1 will beshown — with a paratransit rather thana clean fuels emphasis — at the APTABus & Paratransit Conference in Seat-tle (May 3-6).
Mark Zemmer of Vehicle Products Group ushers a friend into the MV-1.
Canada’s Westport Innovations (Booth 344) is promoting its 15-liter compres-sion ignition engine for heavy duty engines here. Formerly known as the ISX(the same name as the Cummins diesel on which it’s based), the engine has beenrenamed the GX, and is the first of the company’s Westport HD line.
The GX runs primarily on natural gas (a small amount of pilot diesel is nec-essary, especially for starting), maintaining the efficient diesel/compression ig-
nition cycle. Westport plans to use selective catalytic reduc-
tion on the GX to meet 2010 NOx limits. SCR willallow the engine to run hotter, increasing efficiencyand reducing fuel burn.
The separate Cummins Westport joint venture,which offers dedicated-natural gas spark ignitionengines, notably the 8.9-liter ISL G, is at Booth 234.
Westport HD’s GX to Get SCR
Westport Innovations’Kelly Mills (Booth 344)
EVI Offers Road-Ready E-TrucksAustin, Texas- and Toluca, Mexico-based Electric VehiclesInternational (Booth 120) reports strong interest for its road-ready battery electric trucks, in-cluding potential orders in thethousands, fruit of an aggressiverun of trade show appearances thisspring. Trucks are offered with Va-lence lithium phosphate or Trojanlead acid batteries, with ultracapacitors to maximize regen-erative braking efficiency. Depending on battery choice andbattery configuration, single-charge range will be as muchas 100 miles. Hybrid versions of the EVI trucks, includingplug-ins, will be available with gasoline engines or, as de-sired, natural gas or propane fuel. The drive-train is EVI-de-signed, with U.S.-made motors by Indianapolis- andGuangzhou, China-based Light Engineering, Inc. and pro-prietary-circuit controllers built to EVI specs. EVI is work-ing to establish California assembly of the new trucks. VPArt Robins is speaking at the Keep on Truckin’ Product Roll-Out session in Swan 9/10 Tuesday morning.
Gas-Ready 5.4-Liter Ford Engines Ford (Booth 434) is to supply a gaseous fuel-ready version ofits 5.4-liter engine with hardened valves and seats for longer-life CNG and propane conversions. The 6.8-liter V-10 willfollow. The work is tied to AT&T’s huge buy. Dallas-basedBAF Technologies has the initial AT&T work, reporting afive-year contract with 600 CNG vans for this year. Ford issupporting calibration work.
Rotarex-Ceodeux Targets ConvertersPennsylvania- and Luxembourg-based Rotarex Automotive(Ceodeux; Booth 319) is promoting its range of regulatorsand safety valves, and new ECUs, as well as fittings and fil-ters for natural gas and propane to thegrowing cadre of U.S. converters —many of which, says product managerDave Lawson, the company met at itsfirst AF&V appearance last year.Among the offerings are compact Sirius regulators, whichrequire no heating. Rotarex-Ceodeux wants to be a one-stopshop for certified converters, Lawson says.
A123 Emphasizes Hymotion PHEVsA123Systems (Booth 214) has a deal with Chrysler that couldlead to volume sales of its Nanophosphate lithium ion bat-teries — which are meanwhile being used to convert Toy-
ota Prius cars to plug-in hybridoperation by A123 subsidiary Hymo-tion. Hymotion founder and president
Ricardo Bazzarella is speaking at the Holy Grail: Battery Powersession in Swan 9/10 Tuesday afternoon. Jonathan Ortiz ofForeign Affairs Auto (West Palm Beach), an A123-Hymo-tion dealer, is on hand too.
Ready for another show
S N A P S H O T SS N A P S H O T S
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North Carolina’s Altech-Eco (Booth 236) is of-fering Ford Focus sedans converted to bi-fuelor all-CNG — and has just landed EPA Tier 2Bin 2 certification of the dedicated model, mak-ing it eligible for top purchase incentives. TheAltech-Eco Focus NGVs are said to be cheaper
(starting at $24,495) andhave better range thantheir dedicated-CNGHonda Civic GX competi-tion. Altech-Eco uses fuel
cylinders from Lincoln (Booth 546). EPA approval is expected soon for Altech-
Eco’s Ford Fusion conversions. The firm has about two dozen sales outlets,
including a growing number of Ford dealers,and hopes to have all non-CARB states coveredby summer. Among the Altech-Eco dealers isWise Gas (Booth 507), launched last year to bringpublic CNG fueling to Florida.
Aspro Via CNG Products USAMiami-based CNG Products USA is making itsfirst AF&V appearance, as a master distributorof Aspro compressors in the U.S. Aspro is one ofArgentina’s leading manufacturers of compres-sors for CNG fueling, having sold more than 3,000units. Partners and projects in the U.S. includethe Miami International Airpor t and buses inHialeah, Fla., and Questar in Utah.
See Humberto Puppo at Booth 618.
Focus on the Focus
Aftermarket converters, especially the newerones, are hoping that the U.S. EPA will ease cer-tification requirements for aftermarket convert-ers of natural gas and propane vehicles.
The EPA is aware that the certification processis cumbersome and due for reform. A three-yearold guidance document on the subject is beingrevised. But the matter is complicated in that twodivisions of EPA have responsibility – certifica-tion officials at the National Vehicle and FuelEmissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich., andair quality enforcement officials in Washington.
Marty Reineman of Ann Arbor participated ata special pre-conference session on the issue, at-
tended by representatives of most of the manyconversion companies displaying here.
Another question is whether California’s evenstricter certification rules, with OBD II re-quirements that effectively preclude bi-fuel ve-hicles from certification, are applicable in statesthat have embraced California standards forOEM vehicles.
One converterhere reckons thathis fully U.S. EPA-certified vehiclesare illegal not only in California but in New York,Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont.
Impco Technologies is back in the game, asparent Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc.launched a new Impco Automotive Divisionon Feb. 6. Impco has new EPA certificationsfor bi-fuel CNG and propane conversionsusing GM’s 6.0-liter engine, and expects approval of the 5.3-liter GM engine soon.
FSSI also owns Europe’s BRC, and ear-lier this year completed its acquisition of Argentina’s Tomasetto Achille. FSSI says itperformed more than 30,000 conversions,all told, during the first quarter of 2009.
See Tim Standke at Booth 226.
All of Impco’s conversions are bi-fuel.
Impco’s Back on the Road
Will Obama’s EPA Ease Testing?
Baytech for TPS shuttle
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Propane Sector Quietly Flourishes,Roush Kits Now for Dealer Installs“Interest and sales have been growingacross North America,” says RonSmith of school bus supplier Blue Bird.
He’s talking about propane. Propanehas enjoyed a strong year in schoolbuses, still powers the secondlargest fleet in the nation,and is being made availablefor more vehicles in moreplaces by Roush Industries.
“The supply of propane isabout four times the supplyof ethanol in the UnitedStates,” says Roy Willis of thePropane Education & Research Coun-cil (Booth 506).
Roush this past year began making
its liquid propane injection kits avail-able for dealer installation, and ex-panded the line from Ford F-150 toF-250 pickups. The kits are now beingoffered for F-350 trucks too, and are
coming out for Ford E-seriesvans. Roush reported Cali-fornia certification of the F-150 just last week.
Brian Feehan of PERCspeaks at the Declaration of In-dependence: Domestic Fuels ses-sion in Pelican this afternoon.
He’ll be joined by ToddMouw of Roush and Blue Bird’s Smithat Fueling Groovy: The Promise ofPropane in Pelican Tuesday morning.
Sandra Loi at the Propane Education & Research Council’s Booth 506with John Van Bogart and Calvin Thorn of CleanFuel USA.
“It’s not just a promise anymore,” says Rhonda Howard of California-based FirmGreen (Booth 513), whose company supplies landfill-derived biomethane— dubbed gCNG — from a landfill near Columbus, Ohio.
To help fleets make the switch, FirmGreen is promotingCNG conversions, vehicle sales and leases, and long-term fu-eling contracts. Besides its Pinnacle-run CNG fueling facility, Firmgreen of-fers offsite delivery via a tube trailer that’s itself powered by gCNG.
Fleets using the fuel include Grove City and Jackson Township, which haveeach taken delivery of a gCNG-fueled Ford F-250 truck from FirmGreen.SWACO, the landfill operator,. is fueling two Honda Civic GX vehicles andfour three-quarter ton trucks with gCNG. The City of Columbus is fueling awaste hauler. More arrangements are pending.
FirmGreen took Project of the Year honors for the SWACO facility at theU.S. EPA’s LMOP (Landfill Methane OutreachProgram) conference in Baltimore this year.
Tony Wong is FirmGreen business develop-ment director.
Founder and president Steve Wilburn will speakat the Waste Not, Want Not: The Promise of Bio-methane session in Pelican this afternoon.
FirmGreen for Biomethane
Propane-poweredmowers for pros
(and a CNG model)by Dixie Chopper
at Booth 406.
FirmGreen’s Rhonda Howard
Multiforce for Fueling ControlMultiforce (Booth 347) provides fuel control and data sys-tems for alt fuel dispensers. The New Jersey firm’s FuelForcesystem handles CNG, E85, and biodiesel.Multiforce hardware can read magneticstripe and proximity cards, and the firm of-fers an EasyFuel brand vehicle tag that iden-tifies a fueling vehicle to the site controllerand automatically transmits odometer andother data, wirelessly.
Bauer Brings Its CB15.4 ArrayBauer is showing a compressor rig for natural gas vehiclesfeaturing its CB15.4 high pressure booster at Booth 313.
The Virginia-based firm has been manufactur-ing natural gas compressors for more than 60years, having started as a family business in Ger-many in 1946. It has branches in Miami, Detroit,
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Singapore. Compressor ca-pacities range from 5 to 140 standard cubic feet per minute,with working pressures to 5,000 psi. Among the productsbeing promoted here are Bauer’s 3-stage C100/120 (also ondisplay) and the 38-scfm C220.
TeleflexGFI: Alt Fuels, Idle ReductionCanada’s TeleflexGFI is promoting engine conversion com-ponents for natural gas and propane vehicles at Booth 443.Alt fuel hardware includes aluminum and brass pressure reg-ulators, isolation valves and solenoids, pressure relief de-
vices, injectors, and vaporizers. The firm isalso showing a high-profile PR-30 auxiliarypower unit for diesel locomotive idle reduc-tion. The APU employs a 4-cylinder Kubotaengine driving a 16-kilowatt generator.
WEH Shoots for U.S. Germany’s WEH GmbH is at Booth 632 with its line of fu-eling nozzles and receptacles for cars,buses and trucks, as well as breakaways,check valves and filters. Among theWEH products is the TK17 CNG fu-eling nozzle designed expressly for public access CNG sta-tions, as it emulates the feel of a pistol-grip gasoline dispensernozzle. The TK17 represents “an important further step to-ward greater consumer acceptance,” WEH says.
Advice from ZeitZeit Energy provides consulting, maintenance, and leasingservice for CNG fueling installations, and can help craftfractional ownership arrangements. The firm’s new CNGConnect service aims to help forge partnerships that helpmake CNG fueling economical. Customers include mu-nicipalities, universities, and private fleet owners located inTexas and surrounding states. Patrick Zeiter at Booth 544.
S N A P S H O T SS N A P S H O T S
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Canada’s ZENN Motor Company is promot-ing a price of less than $10,000 for a neighbor-hood electric vehicle at Booth 352. ZENN’sAmbassador Program, which runs through June,combines a special $4,750 rebate and U.S. fed-eral tax credit for a net tab of $9,995.
“This program provides new customers withan opportunity to purchase a vehicle for a sub-stantially reduced cost in exchange for theirgrass roots advocacy,” said sales and marketingVP Dennis Hancock.
New ZENN “Ambassadors” will receive atool kit that includes a ZENN hat, ZENN t-shirt, and promotional literature. They areasked to participate in online surveys and feed-back questionnaires during the first threemonths of ownership.
“Early adopters of the ZENN have provento be passionate advocates and educators of thebrand,” Hancock said.
ZENN stands for zero emission, no noise. The firm says its strategy has been borne out
by recent events. “Despite the current economic turmoil,
ZENN Motor Company remains well-
positioned to execute on its business plan of delivering advanced zero emission transporta-tion solutions,” the company says. Its “original vision of an all-electric future is being validatedon a daily basis by the traditional automotivemanufacturers who are seeking to adapt to bothconsumer demands and government pressure.”
ZENN has rights to the high-capacityEEStor battery being developed in Texas, andplans to launch a four-seat low-speed vehicleand a fully-electric highway-capable vehiclecalled cityZENN, as well as ZENNergy branddrivetrains, and retrofit kits.
Baytech (Booth 616) is claiming “the largestlineup of EPA and CARB certified CNG vehiclesin the industry” after disclosing new certifica-tions late in 2008 and early this year.
Baytech has 2009 U.S. EPA and CaliforniaAir Resources Board certifications for its CNGversion of GM’s 8.1-liter heavy-duty engine, ap-plicable to the GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Ko-diak C4500/5500 and Workhorse CustomChassis heavy-duty vehicle chassis. Installa-tions may include shuttle buses, deliver ytrucks, flatbeds, utility bodies, street sweep-ers, and step vans. “It is one of our best sell-ers, and we are glad to be offering it in 2009,”said Baytech VP Richard Turner.
Earlier, Baytech announced certification ofthe 6.0-liter GM engine for 2009, applicable to Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD pickups and the 2009 Chevy Express/GMC Savana 2500 and 3500 pas-senger and cargo vans. They were the first2009 model year CNG pickups and vans to becertified by EPA and CARB.
In the medium-duty vehicle categor y,Baytech’s 2009 CNG certifications cover the6.0L CNG engine used in the Chevrolet/GMCW3500, Isuzu NPR, Chevrolet Express/GMCSavana 3500 Cutaway Van, Chevrolet Silver-ado/GMC Sierra 3500HD Chassis Cab, andWorkhorse W42. Baytech also offers CARB-cer-tified CNG and propane versions of GM’s 6.0Lheavy duty engine for the GM W4500 and 4500
Cutaway Van, IsuzuNPR HD and Work-horse W42. Baytechhas announced avail-ability of a CNG 4.8LChevy Express/GMCSavana cargo van too.
Baytech Offers MoreConversion Options,Supplies TPS Shuttles
ZENN Talks Low Price, Recruits ‘Ambassadors’
ZENN;s Bill Williams at Booth 352.
Baytech’s Diane Vance with company presidentRebecca Royer, Baytech VP Richard Turner andMark Matijevive of converter Creative Bus Saleswith one of The Parking Spot’s Chevy E3500shuttles modified for CNG. 12 have been placedin service and 28 more ordered. TPS operatessome 250 vehicles at 19 airport locations.
Savana 4500 cutaway,ready for Baytech!
April 20, 2009 Convention & Tradeshow News
Adura’s Hybrid Drive Unveiled TodayCalifornia’s Adura Systems today takes thewraps off an all-new series hybrid electric
promising the efficiency of a Smart car in a full-size transitbus – 50 miles per diesel gallon. Fleets & Fuels Strategies, April 20
New Generators for New FlyersSan Diego-based ISE confirmed a major modification toNew Flyer buses with its series hybrid electric drives, re-placing a Siemens generator with a smaller Hamilton Sund-strand unit to eliminate a troublesome right-angle gearboxand allow the vehicles to return to regular service. TheChicago Transit Authority has ten of the vehicles and Ed-monton Transit in Alberta has two. “They’re trying to patchthings up and stay in the game,” says a source with one ofthe operators. Fleets & Fuels, November 10
Winter Pennycress Plantings PlannedNew York’s Innovation Fuels said it would plant test cropsof pennycress as a non-food source of biodiesel at two loca-tions in New Jersey. Pennycress is said to grow “wild andprolifically” throughout the U.S., and can yield up to 100gallons/acre of high quality feedstock. F&F, March 9
DesignLine Hybrids for New YorkDesignLine notched orders in New York(30 with options for 60) and Chicago for40-foot series hybrid electric buses withCapstone MicroTurbine engines. Thebuses had been in demo for a year and half, said executiveVP and sales director James Gaspard. F&F, Sept. 1
Azure Hybrid Can Handle E85 Ford E450-based Balance brand parallel hybrid electric ve-hicles from Azure Dynamics are E85 ethanol-capable for2009, VP Jay Sandler said at the Calstart Clean Heavy DutyVehicles conference in Long Beach. Azure is proceedingwith plans to transition to lithium ion batteries from John-son Controls-Saft next year. F&F, March 23
You Too Could Be This Well-InformedWhat Fleets & Fuels readers knowand when they knew it. Always replete with real-world contact information, phones and e-mailsfor key players. (24 times a year)
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F L E E T S & F U E L SF L E E T S & F U E L S
Landi Renzo, the world leader in ve-hicle fuel systems for natural gas andpropane, is coming back to the U.S.,starting with an alliance with BAF.
“Our strategy is to start to penetratethe market with a company that has al-ready certified a system,” saysClaudio Carnevale, groupbusiness and products direc-tor for Landi Renzo.
“Probably we can play a role help-ing these small companies to grow.”
Landi Renzo hardware will allowBAF to branch to bi-fuels. The likelyfirst target for certification, with theU.S. EPA for 49 states with Californiato follow, is a GM sedan, probablythe Chevy Malibu.
“Our goal is to offer a bi-fuel vehi-cle conversion for less than $10,000,”said BAF president John Bacon.
Cavriago-based Landi brings heftycredentials. An assessment by Frost &Sullivan, Carnevale says, late last year
pegged its share of the world-wide propane and CNGmarket at about 25% by ve-hicle count. For CNG alone,
the Landi Renzo market share is 35%. The firm’s business is about half
OEM and half retrofit. Sales, again byunit count, are split evenly betweenCNG and propane for retrofits.
Among OEMs, it’s about 60%propane and 40% CNG.
F&F, Oct. 13&27, Dec. 8
Fleets & Fuels357 Haight StreetSan Francisco, CA 94102
www.fleetsandfuels.com
Landi Renzo Targets U.S. Market
Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp, anarm of Tanfield-Smith EVs of the UK,has picked Kansas City for initial U.S.production of its battery electric truckline. Smith U.S. is starting with theNewton, “the world’s largest battery-electric-powered truck,” with P120brand 120-kilowatt drivetrain byEnova Systems.
“The plant in Kansas City repre-sents an initial investment of $10 mil-lion,” Smith says. Production is to startin the third quarter.
The Newton can go up to 50 mph,and is to have single-charge range bet-ter than 100 miles with a payload of upto 16,280 lb. Smith U.S. said it willcommence production “using chassis
from multiple vehicle manufacturers.”U.S. batteries are expected.Smith named PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay
North America unit, California’s Pa-cific Gas & Electric utility, and Can-teen Vending (an arm of CompassNorth America) as launch customers.
Canteen says it’s committed to up to30 vehicles over the next two years.
PG&E says it will take as many as20 Smith EVs, including Ford-badgedTransit Connect vans also to be out-fitted in the U.S. as battery EVs.
Last week Smith said it’s teamedwith Clean Fuels Ohio and Ohio StateUniversity to promote EVs for fleets,and will tackle other states too.
Fleets & Fuels, April 6 & 20
Smith Picks Kansas City for Its U.S. Plant,Signs on with Clean Fuels Ohio and OSU
Battery electric Newton trucks by Smith Electric Vehicles (Tanfield) for TNT. Thelaunch customers in the U.S. are Canteen/Compass, Frito-Lay and the utility PG&E.
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Visit our Booth #313 at AF&V 2009BAUER COMPRESSORS INC. | 1328 Azalea Garden Road | Norfolk, VA 23502
Phone 757-855-6006 | Fax 757-857-1041 | [email protected] | www.bauercng.com
Discharge Pressureup to 5000 psig
Capacityup to 28 scfm
Inlet Pressure28 to 58 psig
Power7.5 to 15 hp
High Pressure Booster for Natural Gas Refueling Stations
CB15.4 NATURAL GAS
Clean Energy Fuels this month disclosed a 15-year sales pact for biomethane from the Mc-Commas Bluff landfill in Dallas via its DallasClean Energy subsidiary. The gas will be soldto Shell Energy North America, to be used forutility power generation, at fixed prices that in-crease in 2010 and 2011 and then remain fixed.
Sales of as much as 4,500 million BTUs perday (nearly 40,000 gasoline gallon equiva-lents) are to commence this month and rise to5,000 to 6,000 million BTUs per day through2024. The landfill is forecast to remain pro-ductive until perhaps 2072.
Clean Energy says the landfill methane, valu-able to help meet applicable Renewable Port-folio Standards, is fetching “a significantpremium to the prevailing price for conven-tional natural gas.”
There is “potential use as vehicle fuel,” saidClean Energy president and CEO Andrew Lit-tlefair. And, he said, “We will retain the carboncredits related to the biomethane productionand will pursue sales of those credits.”
Clean Energy (Booth 334) acquired a 70%ownership interest in Dallas Clean Energy thispast August.
Quebec’s Xebec (Booth 337) comes to AF&V2009 following word March 17 that it is merg-ing with QuestAir, unleashing a new power-house in biomethane as their gaseous fuel pu-rification and drying technologies join.
Vancouver-based QuestAir, for its part, latelast year shifted its strategic focus from hy-drogen purification to the biomethane sector.
The new entity will be called Xebec Adsorp-tion, Inc. Current Xebec president Kurt Sorschakwill be president and CEO.
He sees “an addressable market of over$500 million annually.”
Current QuestAir chief Andrew Hall takescharge of sales and business development.
“Xebec’s strength in the natural gas vehi-cle fuel market perfectly complements our in-creased focus and success in renewablenatural gas,” Hall said.
“We will maximize the potential of QuestAir’sadvanced adsorption technology by leverag-ing Xebec’s manufacturing facilities in Quebecand China, and its global sales and distribu-tion networks.”
Xebec says it’s the world leader in the dry-ing of natural gas for vehicle fueling stations,with major installations around the globe. Thefirm claims a 96% share of the North Americannatural gas drying market.
Biomethane Targetedas Xebec, QuestAir Joinfor Gas Drying, Cleaning
Fossil Fuel? Not This Gas from Clean Energy
Clean Energy station in Dallas doesn’t use Dallaslandfill biomethane yet — but it could!
A fully automatic, heat-reactivated Xebec twintower natural gas drying unit.
Ryan Graunke of the University of Florida will bejoined by Eric Leonhardt of Western Washington
University, Marianne Mintz ofthe Argonne National Lab, andSteve Wilburn of California’s FirmGreen (Booth 513) at theWaste Not, Want Not: The Prom-
ise of Biomethane session in Pelican this afternoon. Westport Innovations president Mike Gallagher
will moderate.
Biomethane Today
Growth Energy, a new organi-zation backing agricultural so-lutions to the energy supplychallenge, is sponsoring today’sluncheon keynote presentationby its pro-ethanol chairman,Ret. General Wesley Clark.
Growth Energy is displaying at Booth 326.
Gen. Wesley Clarkfor Growth at Lunch
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California officials have their own large cleanvehicles programs, following legislation that pre-dated the financial crisis and subsequent del-uge of ARRA money. Now they’re scrambling tostreamline their grants process to meet the ag-gressive federal stimulus deadlines.
The key agencies are the California EnergyCommission and the Air Resources Board.
“We want to make our money available ascost-share match to the federal stimulus,”CEC’s Peter Ward told ShowTimes yesterday.
A revised CEC Investment Plan is expectedto be made formal this Wednesday, April 22.It’s to be followed immediately by a ProgramOpportunity Notice, and the agency will hold aworkshop in Sacramento on April 27 to help ex-plain how state money can be used to leverageARRA money. CEC is focused primarily on fuelproduction and infrastructure: $46 million forelectric drive infrastructure, port electrificationand battery plant development; $40 millionfor hydrogen fueling stations; $12 million forethanol production and fueling stations; $6 mil-lion for renewable diesel and biodiesel pro-duction, blending and storage facilities; and$27 million for education, outreach, sustain-ability research, standards and certification,and technical assistance.
The Air Resources Board’s two-year plan, setfor adoption Friday, allocates a total of $42 mil-lion over two years. CARB’s cornerstone is the$25 million Hybrid Truck and Bus Voucher In-centive Project, aimed at getting 1,000 new hy-brid medium- and heavy-duty vehicles onCalifornia’s roadways as soon as possible. Thebalance funds zero-emission and plug-in hybrids.
Riding the Wave
Clean vehicle advocates find themselves offeredan unprecedented amount of money — morethan $10 billion, all told, by some reckonings —from President Obama’s federal stimulus pack-age: ARRA, the American Recovery and Rein-vestment Act. There’s substantial money fromCalifornia, too (see box).
Clean Cities has $300 million to spend butindividual projects must be at least $5 million— too large to organize quickly, some say.
“I wish Obama had come up with a plan, andnot just thrown the money out there,” says oneClean Cities veteran.
“There is no national process for prioritizingprojects,” says another ARRA observer.
The Clean Cities $300 million is only a frac-tion of the $2.4 million DoE has. It’s aimedmostly at electric vehicles, particularly for thedevelopment of competitive battery manufac-turing in the U.S., but also for other compo-nents, like motors.
The U.S. EPA has begun making awards fromthe $300 million allocated by President Obamaunder the Diesel Emission Reduction Act.
DERA money can be used for diesel replace-ment, with natural gas, for example.
Then there’s TIGGER — Transit Invest-ments for Greenhouse Gas & Energy Reduc-tion effort. Under TIGGER, the Federal TransitAdministration has $100 million in discretionarygrants for replacement of existing buses withmore energy efficient buses like hybrid or fuelcell models, or re-powering of existing buses.
Most recently, the U.S. General Services Ad-ministration said it would purchase and deliver$300 million worth of energy-efficient and al-ternative fuel vehicles with ARRA money.
GSA will spend about $285 million for 17,600commercially available fuel-efficient vehicles byJune 1, including 2,500 hybrid sedans that wereto be ordered last week all from GSA contrac-tors Chrysler, Ford and GM. GSA is also tospend $15 million to “pilot” advanced technol-ogy vehicles in its fleet. Pilot technologies in-clude commercially available CNG and hybridbuses, and all-electric vehicles. Orders are to beplaced by September 30.
The long and short of it is, if you’re interested
in money, you won’t want to miss the Money See,Money Do: Funding and Incentives session in Swan 9/10following the General Session this morning.
Scheduled speakers include Linda Bluestein ofDoE/Clean Cities, Peter Grace of Clean Energy,and Carl Mikyska of FTA. Dave Gelman of NewWest Technologies will moderate.
The Confusing Bonanza of ARRA
President Obama shared the stage with a hybridelectric bucket truck at Southern California Edisonevent last month.
YOU’VE GOT TO GO GREEN. THE TIMES DEMAND IT.
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