Green Energy News | March 1, 1998

March 1, 1998 – Vol.2 No.48

ENERGIES... week of March 1,1998

VIRGIN TAKES PLUNGE. The Virgin Rail Group of the UK has ordered $2 billion worth of trains and maintenance services from Bombardier Transportation of Canada. To be used on Virgin’s CrossCountry rail services in the UK, and delivered by May 2002, are 43 trainsets (comprised of 4-car tilting diesel electric multiple units (DEMU) each), 140 coaches and 36 locomotives. Bombardier will supply the coaches and will subcontract the locomotives and maintenance of them to General Motors’ Electromotive Division.

By comparison, the transit bill now finding its way through the U.S. Congress includes $41 billion - over six years - for energy efficient mass transit projects.

The train order is the largest in Bombardier Transportation’s history. Other divisions of Bombardier make aircraft, snowmobiles, personal water craft (jet skiis) and an electric vehicle known as the NV - Neighborhood Vehicle. Check out their website at http://www.transportation.bombardier.com.

CORPORATE ALLIANCES. Ford and Honda have unveiled their plan to increase the number of public EV charging stations in California. The two have chipped in $200,000 as matching funds to assist businesses and cities install more charging stations in the state.

Ford’s Ranger EV and Honda’s purpose-built EV PLUS both use conductive charging systems, thus the stations must be of the conductive nature. According to the companies, conductive charging is safe. The technology includes automatic retractable covers which shield metal contacts, one-handed use, durability, and the potential for Level III charging which could make EV charging as fast as refueling a fossil-fuel powered car.

Ford has also entered into a strategic alliance with Mobil Corporation (oil) to speed the development of new vehicle technologies and fuels. On the agenda is the development of a fully integrated direct-injection diesel system for advanced diesel engines, along with cleaner burning diesel fuels.

The longer term quest is to develop a commercially viable compact fuel processor to extract hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels for use in fuel cells. Ford is already in alliance with Ballard Power (fuel cells) and Daimler-Benz for fuel cell development. Now Mobil will sit at the table too.

USING THE CAN, AGAIN AND AGAIN. The aluminum can recycling rate reached an astounding 66.5% in 1997, according to the Aluminum Association, giving it the highest recycling rate of any package.

The beverage can industry produced some 100.5 billion cans in 1997 with 66.8 billion returned in recycling efforts. (Nobody counted - it’s figured by weight.) The industry paid out $1.03 billion for the 2.05 billion pounds returned.

Cans made from recycled aluminum use only 5% of the energy as those made from aluminum ore. Cans can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as little as 60 days.