Here’s the latest alternative fuel and energy-efficient vehicle news affecting environmental and energy executives.
BMW has unveiled its London 2012 Olympic fleet of more than 3,000 low-emission, diesel, hybrid and electric cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Olympic officials capped the vehicles’ emissions at 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer, and the automaker says the BMW and Mini fleet surpasses the target with average emissions of 116 grams per kilometer, and average efficiency of 64.5mpg.
The first 67 Ford dealers have been certified to sell the company’s first all-electric car, the 2012 Focus Electric, arriving later this spring. The fuel-efficient five-seater has an EPA rating of 110 MPGe city and is capable of being recharged in nearly half the time as a Nissan Leaf, according to Ford.
Richard Parry-Jones, former Ford chief technical officer and chairman-designate for the UK’s Network Rail, says carmakers’ targets will make their autos as clean-burning as electric trains by 2020. He says the automakers are targeting 40g/km of CO2 tailpipe emissions by 2020, reports Autoblog.
UK Supermarket Sainsbury’s has ordered an additional 10 units of Clean Air Power’s Genesis Edge Dual-Fuel system, taking Sainsbury’s total to 24 bio-methane trucks. The supermarket will receive the additional trucks this financial year.
Gamesa and Toyota Spain have inked a deal allowing the Spanish wind turbine manufacturer to test drive a plug-in hybrid vehicle for six months. Gamesa will test the car’s technology in an attempt to facilitate the mass-market rollout of electric vehicles in urban Spain, according to the two companies.
All-electric vehicle developer CODA Holdings says it has signed a contract with Great Wall Motors Company to co-develop the first all-electric vehicle designed for all major markets: North America, China and Europe. The co-developed EV is intended to be the most affordable EV on the market, according to CODA, comparable to entry-level internal combustion engine vehicles.
GE Energy unveiled a software platform and connectivity features for its WattStation EV charging station. The system now allows WattStation owners to manage charging stations remotely, set customer pricing for EV charging, provide access control at their facilities and generate reports.
Volvo Trucks will use SABIC’s Valox iQ PBT resin, which incorporates upcycled water bottles, for the brackets of the side air deflection system in all seven 2012 Volvo VN heavy truck models. SABIC’s Valox iQ resin contains up to 60 percent PCR content and helps reduce the resin’s carbon footprint by as much as 49 percent compared with virgin PBT resins, the company says.