Green Vehicle Awareness | Green Energy News

December 8, 2002 – Vol.7 No.37

GREEN VEHICLE AWARENESS.

The Bush Administration should also be aware of the good work being accomplished by companies large and small to bring more efficient vehicles - vehicles with the kind of drastic increase in fuel economy that is needed - for the nation’s and world’s roads. In recent news ...

--- Toyota through its Second Annual North American Environmental Report claims that it has improved fuel efficiency in nine vehicle configurations by 4 -8 percent as of model year 2002. (The Bush Administration’s increase for light trucks is a little more than 7 percent, but a few years in the future.) Toyota also claims that it will introduce additional hybrid electric vehicles to the U.S. market by 2005. (One of those could be a hybrid minivan already sold in Japan.) Read the annual report at http://www.toyota.com/environment .

--- Nissan has unveiled its next generation fuel cell vehicle, the X-Trail FCV. An SUV, the X-Trail uses a 75-kilowatt ambient pressure fuel cell from UTC Fuel Cells. UTC, the company that makes the fuel cells for the U.S. Space Shuttle, is the only company making ambient pressure (no compressor to force air into the fuel cell stack) fuel cells for vehicular use.

The X-Trail FCV will undergo public road testing in Japan where the company plans limited marketing of the vehicle next year. Visit UTC at http://www.utcfuelcells.com/ , Nissan at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/HOME .

--- Deere & Company, better known as John Deere, will build a fuel cell powered demonstrator Commercial Work Vehicle (CWV) based on its off-road Pro-Gator (tm) Utility vehicle. The fuel cell Gator is another step in the company’s efforts to electrify some of their product line. The company currently offers a battery electric version of the Pro-Gator, the E-Gator (tm) through its ePower Technologies Division and is also demonstrating a hybrid electric lawn tractor.

The fuel cell for the CWV will be supplied by Hydrogenics of Toronto. Visit John Deere at http://www.deere.com/ and Hydrogenics at http://www.hydrogenics.com/ .

--- W.L. Gore & Associates is supplying electrode technology for ultra-capacitors used in a hybrid electric truck being developed by Nissan. The Nissan Super Power Capacitors will be used instead of batteries for the vehicle’s regenerative braking system.

W.L. Gore has also developed a new technology Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) (the single cell that when used in groups makes up a fuel cell stack) that could last up to 40,000 hours (more than 4.5 years of continuous use), though in stationary, not vehicular, applications. The MEA’s could be available to customers as early as next year. Visit W. L. Gore at http:www.gore.com/excellerator (for the electrodes) http://www.gore.com/fuelcells/ for the MEA’s

--- Feel Good Cars of Toronto, known for its conversion of vintage Renault Dauphins to electric drive, has introduced another electric vehicle, the ZENN (tm) (Zero Emission, No Noise). This one, a street legal (on roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour) LSV, Low Speed Vehicle.

The battery electric ZENN, based on a conventional car built in Europe for 15 years, is fully enclosed and fully equipped with heat, air conditioning, electric windows, etc. Visit Feel Good Cars at http://www.feelgoodcars.com/ .

--- Michelin, through Michelin Challenge Design, is introducing a concept battery electric city car - the Matra P75 - to North American markets via the upcoming North American International Auto Show. The P75 is being touted as safe, environmentally friendly and revolutionary mode of transportation. Visit Michelin Challenge Design at http://www.michelinchallengedesign.com/ .