Green Big Truck

Westport launches LNG tender product for locomotives

Westport Innovations Inc. launched a liquefied natural gas (LNG) locomotive tender product solution with an order for four tenders from Canadian National Railway (CN); CN is currently testing two Electro-Motive Diesel locomotives converted for operation on natural gas. The first tender to supply fuel to an adjacent natural-gas powered locomotive will be delivered in the [...]

Volvo Trucks bringing trucks running on renewable DME to North American market

Volvo is working with key partners to bring dimethyl ether-powered (DME) commercial trucks to the North American market. DME is readily available and often captured as a fuel for use in various industrial power and chemical uses, but is not common used as a vehicle fuel. It can be sourced from both petroleum energy sources [...]

ABB demonstrates ‘flash charging’ system for electric buses

ABB has developed and is demonstrating a high-capacity “flash charging” system for electric buses. The system enables onboard batteries to be charged in 15 seconds with a 400 kW boost at selected stops using a roof-mounted system (“Flash station”). The flash stations are connected to the 50kVA electricity network and also have a 3kWh storage [...]

Ricardo tech demonstrator 72% better fuel economy over Humvee

Ricardo released an analysis of two years of on-the-ground testing of the Ricardo-engineered Fuel-Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED) showing that, when compared to the US military’s regularly outfitted M1151 HMMWV (“Humvee”), the FED experienced a 72% improvement in fuel economy. The FED’s performance was assessed using a number of realistic duty cycles including highway, off-road [...]

Volvo plug-in hybrid bus with B?sbaar rapid charging to begin field testing in Gothenburg

Volvo Buses’ new plug-in hybrid buses will begin field tests in Gothenburg, Sweden this month. Volvo Buses has already sold more than 1,000 of its conventional hybrid units; the plug-in version will facilitate the reduction of fuel consumption and carbon dioxide by 75 to 80%, compared with current diesel buses, the company said. The plug-in [...]

Smith Electric medium-duty electric truck fleet surpasses 700 vehicles and 5M miles of operation

June 15th, 2013

Aaron Turpen

Medium-duty electric truck manufacturer Smith Electric Vehicles Corp. announced that it has now produced more than 700 of its battery-electric Edison and Newton trucks, which have cumulatively generated more than five million miles on the road.

Medium-duty gas and diesel trucks are expensive to operate and are one of the biggest contributors to urban pollution. These vehicles typically travel on fixed routes of fewer than 100 miles in a single day, and are based in a centralized depot, making them ideal for conversion, Smith says.

Customers who work with Smith Electric to transform their fleets save an estimated 70% annually on fuel and maintenance during the life of the vehicle and eliminate all vehicle-based emissions, according to the company. Read more »

Hydraulic Hybrid Retrofit Systems Offered by National Fleet Hybrids

June 14th, 2013

Aaron Turpen

Through a new partnership, National Fleet Hybrids will provide sales, installation and distribution of Lightning Hybrids’ hydraulic hybrid retrofit systems.

Lightning Hybrid’s systems are available for shuttle buses and other medium-duty vehicles. Currently Lightning Hybrids focuses sales on customers close to its home in Loveland, CO. This partnership will provide access to the hydraulic hybrid drive systems for fleets in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

Lightning Hybrids said its systems are designed to provide fuel mileage increases of up to 40%.

“This partnership with National Fleet Hybrids brings our efficient technology to an area of the U.S. with millions of trucks and buses in fleets that need to save fuel and cut emissions. National Fleet Hybrids is known for their expertise in the fleet market and we’re excited to have that vote of confidence in our product,” said Tim Reeser, president and co-founder of Lightning Hybrids.

Westport launches LNG tender product for locomotives

June 14th, 2013

Aaron Turpen

Westport Innovations Inc. launched a liquefied natural gas (LNG) locomotive tender product solution with an order for four tenders from Canadian National Railway (CN); CN is currently testing two Electro-Motive Diesel locomotives converted for operation on natural gas. The first tender to supply fuel to an adjacent natural-gas powered locomotive will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Westport is collaborating with INOXCVA, a leading manufacturer of cryogenic transportation equipment, on these tenders. Westport and INOXCVA have entered into an agreement for cryogenic systems to be able to rapidly meet the near-term demand in the rail industry. Read more »

United purchasing 15M gallons of renewable jet fuel from AltAir Fuel

June 13th, 2013

Aaron Turpen

United Airlines executed a definitive purchase agreement with AltAir Fuels for cost-competitive, sustainable, bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosene at commercial scale. With United’s strategic partnership, AltAir Fuels will retrofit part of an existing petroleum refinery to become a 30-million gallon, advanced biofuel refinery near Los Angeles, Calif.

AltAir will produce low-carbon, renewable jet fuel and other renewable products. United has collaborated with AltAir Fuels since 2009 and has agreed to buy 15 million gallons of lower-carbon, renewable jet fuel over a three-year period, with the option to purchase more. The airline is purchasing the advanced biofuel at a price competitive with traditional, petroleum-based jet fuel, and AltAir expects to begin delivering five million gallons of renewable jet fuel per year to United starting in 2014. Read more »