Green Energy News | October 12, 1997

October 12, 1997 – Vol.2 No.28

ENERGIES... week of October 12, 1997

A DIFFERENT ENERGY FUTURE. Next year, General Motors, in partnership with the Chinese government, will begin a three-year electric vehicle demonstration program utilizing GM’s two-seat EV1 battery powered cars and workhorse S-10 Electric pick-up trucks.

Most notably, a few of the vehicles will be deployed on the island Nan’ao in the South China Sea where 100% of the electricity is generated by the wind. This will be the first time GM’s electric vehicles will used in a completely emission free transportation system - including power generation. The vehicles will also be tested in selected cities in Guandong province.

In another project, General Motors and partners IMPCO Technologies and FuelMaker Corp. will work with the Beijing Science and Technology Commission to explore the feasibility of introducing natural gas powered vehicles to the Beijing area. The project will include vehicle conversion and natural gas distribution system evaluation.

The Chinese government is interested in environmentally friendly alternative transportation technologies for its burgeoning economy.

EXTRA VALUE WITH GEOTHERMAL POWER. Construction has started on a new MacDonald’s restaurant in Westland, Michigan that will have heat, hot water and air conditioning courtesy of the earth’s constant below-ground temperatures. The geothermal powered 3600 sq. ft. restaurant will be the first of its kind in the company’s fleet and will serve as a study project for future MacDonald’s restaurants.

Energy efficiency will also be enhanced through lighting systems, insulation values, triple glazed windows and high-efficiency motors. Detroit Edison has been working with MacDonald's on the restaurant.

LUBRICANT IMPROVES EFFICIENCY. In a month long test, two interstate buses showed significant improvements in fuel economy when lubricated by PetroMoly(tm) from Worldwide PetroMoly. The buses showed improvements of 21.5% after 12,000 miles (5.6 to 6.8 mpg) and 16.6% after 20,000 miles (5.7 to 6.6 mpg) respectively. The buses were operated by El Expreso Co. and powered by Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines. The transportation firm claims its fleet would save $100,000 annually if all of its 35 buses had PetroMoly in their sumps.

The key ingredient in PetroMoly is molybdenum disulfide, a hard low-friction metal that fills the pits and craters in pistons, rings and cylinder walls preventing metal-to-metal contact. The lubricant also reduced engine wear in the test. Continental Airlines had fuel economy improvements of 4.5% using PetroMoly in airport support vehicles in a test last year.

Check out the Worldwide PetroMoly web site at http://www.petromoly.com/