Green Energy News | January 9, 2000

January 9, 2000 – Vol.4 No.41

ENERGIES... week of January 9, 2000

A FUTURE IN GREEN VEHICLES. The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) opened this week in Detroit giving an opportunity for the world’s auto makers to show off new products and announce plans for the future. But beyond the objects of metal and plastic was a profound statement from Toyota Motor Corporation President Fujio Cho - “We can no longer afford to ignore the signs of global warming and the fact that the consumption of gasoline and other fossil fuels is on the rise. Environmentally friendly cars will soon cease to be an option...they will become a necessity.” Cho urged car makers to work together to develop new clean and efficient automotive technologies.

The challenges ahead for automakers are enormous. If, for example, carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles were cut in half, a doubling in size of the world’s automotive fleet would give us the same CO2 emissions we have now - too much. Carbon dioxide emissions are cumulative and global.

Further, if we started today - right at this very moment - to replace the world’s automotive and truck fleet it could take decades to complete the task. Whatever new technology developed today must have incremental improvements over time for the continuous reduction of CO2 emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from technology developed today might be too high in 20-30 years. Carbon sequestration for vehicle emissions may not be an option, but part of the green vehicle development plan.

FORD’S GREEN DIVISION. Ford has decided to keep its green vehicle sales and development separate from regular operations by creating the TH!NK Group. TH!NK Technologies will be the research and development arm of the Group. TH!NK Mobility will be in charge of production and sales of green vehicles.

First to be offered will be the TH!NK “neighbor” a low-speed battery-powered electric vehicle aimed at non-road use such as gated communities, resorts, golf courses or industrial sites. Along side the neighbor are two electric bikes “bike fun” and “bike traveler”. Traveler is of particular interest because of its folding frame. Presumably the compact bike could be stowed in the trunk of a car or even carried onto a train or bus.

TH!NK “city”, the two-seat street-worthy electric vehicle now on sale in Norway (sales are brisk), will be offered later this year in other Scandinavian countries. A new version will be available for the U.S. market in two years.

Neighbor, fun and traveler will be available later this year from participating dealers or over the Internet. City will be available only from qualified Ford dealers when introduced in the U.S.

TH!NK technologies will work on advanced development such as fuel cell vehicles.

Ford also plans to incorporate a hybrid drive system, similar to the one developed for the Prodigy hybrid prototype, into a family sized vehicle by 2003. The hybrid drive will add $3000 to the cost of the car. Ford hopes the extra cost will be offset by a U.S. federal tax credit now being considered. The hybrid drive is designed to work in a number of different automobile platforms.

Ford introduced its FC5 prototype fuel cell vehicle at the NAIAS. The Ford Focus based sedan is powered by a Ballard Mark 900 fuel cell module operating on reformed methanol.

Ford acknowledges that methanol would be likely derived from natural gas, but could come from other sources such as biomass. The company also sees the difficulties in the supply and distribution of hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles. Visit Ford at http://www.ford.com/ and TH!NK at http://www.thinkmobility.com/ .

MORE EFFICIENT MOTORS FOR HONDA. As could be expected, part of the hybrid technology that drives the super-efficient Insight will find its way into other Honda products. The gasoline engine design that powers the Insight - and contributes to a portion of the car’s fuel efficiency - will be the basis of Honda’s Next Generation Engine Series. The first product will be a 2 liter, 4 cylinder low emission model with fuel efficiency improvements of 10-20%.

The Insight, by the way, achieves its astounding fuel economy though the combination of light vehicle weight, aerodynamics, the undersized, but efficient, gasoline motor, as well as its hybrid electric drive system.

The company also claims they will have a fuel cell vehicle on the market by 2003. Visit Honda at http://www.honda.com/ .

REAL FUEL CELL EFFICIENCY. Fuel cells generate heat, lots of it. While in a vehicle that heat is wasted; in a stationary application that heat can be put to work - adding significantly to efficiency.

Tokyo Gas, EBARA BALLARD, and EBARA Corporation will be working with Ballard Generation Systems to develop a fuel processor for a one-kilowatt natural gas fueled power generator targeted for the Japanese residential market. The co-generating Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell will provide power, space heating and hot water for domestic use for homes and apartments. Visit Ballard at http://www.ballard.com/ .

PORTABLE FUEL CELL POWER. Another market for fuel cells is for emergency, recreational, back-up, or job-site power.

Coleman Powermate will work with Ballard Power Systems to develop 50 prototype portable units for evaluation and testing. Another company, CoPower.com, has opened a new website to market a line of portable fuel cells made by DCH Technologies (DCHT). DCHT fuel cells are a simpler class of fuel cell as they rely on ambient air pressure to supply oxygen to the cell. The cell’s own waste water is used to keep membranes humidified. These features eliminate the complication of pumps, fans and blowers that other designs require. DCHT is marketing simplicity and reliability in its fuel cells. The company offers products from as small as a flashlight battery up to 3 kilowatts.

THE PRESIDENT’S BIOENERGY. President Clinton’s fiscal 2001 budget, yet to be approved by Congress, includes $439 million to fund research and grants to aid the production of biomass energy and other products from agricultural waste.

In the proposed budget biomass waste would become a fuel in itself - not converted into a liquid, such as ethanol and used as a gasoline additive. The technology would use all of the waste product as fuel in the same way lumberyard waste is used as fuel. Fuel stock would come from agricultural waste or specialty crops such as switch grass.