Green Big Truck

Nissan Introduces New Energy Efficient Car Carrier

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. unveiled the Nichioh Maru, a more energy efficient coastal car carrier which will transport completed vehicles and parts on one of Japan’s main maritime shipping routes. The Nichioh Maru, newly built by Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co., Ltd., has installed solar power panels for the first time on a coastal ship in Japan and [...]

Boulder Electric Vehicles Sells First Electric Truck

Electric commercial truck maker Boulder Electric Vehicle has sold its first battery electric commercial truck, the 2-ton capacity delivery truck called the DV-500, to local business Precision Plumbing and Heating in Gunbarrel, Colorado. Precision plans to purchase 20 of the trucks over the next two or three years, replacing its current fleet of Dodge Sprinter [...]

BAE Systems and Caterpillar Developing HybriDrive Systems for Trucks

BAE Systems and Caterpillar are teaming up to build parallel hybrid systems for heavy-duty trucks using BAE’s HybriDrive System. The deal has BAE merging the Cat CX family of transmissions into their parallel HybriDrive propulsion system. This will establish a sales outlet as well as aftermarket field services model to leverage the global reach of [...]

Azure Dynamics Delivers 1,000th Balance Hybrid Truck

Azure Dynamics has delivered it’s 1,000th Balance Hybrid Electric vehicles to Purolator, which now owns 555 of the trucks. This represents Purolator’s 200th unit received in just 2011 as part of an ongoing 600-truck order being delivered over a 3-year period. Azure is the world’s number one provider of hybrid electric powertrain solutions to medium-duty [...]

Hyundai Heavy Developing Floating LNG Ship

Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world’s largest shipbuilder, has completed initial development of its own floating liquefied natural gas plant (FLNG) model with partner Linde AG. The ship will act as a floating platform for producing liquefied natural gas with a production capacity of 2.5 million tons of LNG and storage for 193,800 square meters of [...]

South Africa Testing Hydrogen Fuel Cell Mining Locomotive

January 29th, 2012

Aaron Turpen

Platinum mining company Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) will be putting a fuel cell-powered locomotive into use in the next few months. Starting with surface tests and then eventually moving underground, the locomotive is being tried as an alternative to the much more expensive-to-operate diesel locomotives that cause problems with the mine’s air ventilation and exhaust systems.

The initial tests of the new train will be at Amplat’s Dishaba mine in Limpopo.

South Africa is in a unique position for today’s fuel cells as they are the source for 80% of the world’s platinum supply and most fuel cells in production today are using platinum as the catalyst. Although this is changing, with less costly options being found to replace platinum, the rare metal will likely remain in use for fuel cell technology for some time.

Given this, it would be obvious for South Africa to become a mecca of fuel cell development. The country, however, has not picked up the HFC ball until only recently.

With all of the research currently being done to reduce or replace the amount of platinum used in fuel cells, this may be too-little, too-late for the nation to capitalize on the possibilities.

Boulder Electric Vehicles Sells First Electric Truck

January 27th, 2012

Aaron Turpen

Electric commercial truck maker Boulder Electric Vehicle has sold its first battery electric commercial truck, the 2-ton capacity delivery truck called the DV-500, to local business Precision Plumbing and Heating in Gunbarrel, Colorado. Precision plans to purchase 20 of the trucks over the next two or three years, replacing its current fleet of Dodge Sprinter diesel delivery vans with the all-electric DV-500.

The DV-500 has been in development for nearly two years, weighs about 7,000 pounds (tare), can carry up to two tons in payload, and has a range of up to 120 miles per charge. It uses an 80kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery (LiFePO4) with a top speed of 70mph.

The DV-500 was designed in Boulder, Colorado and is being built at a facility in Longmont, Colorado with nearly all components sourced from the U.S. The trucks have a sticker price of about $70,000, which is $20k higher than the diesel Sprinter’s price, but has a lifespan of three times that of the diesel truck. It will also feature much lower maintenance and fuel costs.

Precision Plumbing and Heating president Tom Robichaud says that the extra $20,000 is justified since the DV-500 will last for 300,000 miles or more versus the 100,000 miles they expect from their current diesel vans. Additionally, about $5,000 to $8,000 in savings per year in maintenance and fuel will add to the cost-effectiveness of the electric trucks. With 20 of them on the road, he says, “it’s a way to control an extra $150,000 in overhead per year.”

Refineries facing heavy government fines for not blending a biofuel that doesn’t exist

January 26th, 2012

Aaron Turpen

by J.D. Heyes, NaturalNews

It seems almost too absurd to be true, but in the land of leviathan government, where the layers of bureaucracy are so intertwined it is impossible to navigate them, comes the revelation that the U.S. government has now taken to fining companies for not using a required product that doesn’t even exist.

In 2011scores of oil companies had to pay a total of $6.8 million in finesbecause they didn’t mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel fuels. It wasn’t that the companies weretryingto escape the requirement; it’s just that, outside of a few labs and workshops, the product – cellulosic biofuel – is a myth.

The substance is made from wood chips and inedible parts of corn cobs. The government, in its infinite wisdom, required oil refineries to blend in 6.6 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel into gasoline and diesel fuel last year, and 8.65 million gallonsthisyear. But since there is no cellulosic biofuel to be had, oil companies can expect to have to pay more in fines in 2012.

And you wonder why,despite falling demand, you are still paying three bucks a gallon for gas (and more for diesel).

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/034732_biofuel_refineries_bureaucracy.html#ixzz1kb63eghe

BAE Systems and Caterpillar Developing HybriDrive Systems for Trucks

January 26th, 2012

Aaron Turpen

BAE Systems and Caterpillar are teaming up to build parallel hybrid systems for heavy-duty trucks using BAE’s HybriDrive System. The deal has BAE merging the Cat CX family of transmissions into their parallel HybriDrive propulsion system. This will establish a sales outlet as well as aftermarket field services model to leverage the global reach of Caterpillar with the technology of BAE.

This diesel electric hybrid truck system will improve fuel economy up to 30% on most heavy-duty truck applications, including refuse collection, construction, pickup-delivery, and utility vehicles. It is not expected to give significant economy improvements to highway-centric over-the-road (OTR) applications.

“Building upon our initial relationship to develop the parallel hybrid electric system, this supply agreement cements Caterpillar as a key supplier and partner on a system that will lower fuel and ownership costs and emissions for fleet owners,” said Steve Trichka, General Manager of BAE System’s HybriDrive Solutions.