Smith Electric Vehicles has produced more than 700 all-electric Edison and Newton trucks (pictured), which have cumulatively generated more than 5 million miles on the road, offsetting an estimated 700,000 gallons of fuel and eliminating more than 10,000 short tons of greenhouse gases, the company says. Smith Electric fleet customers can save about 70 percent annually on fuel and maintenance during the life of the vehicle, the company says.
Volvo Group has launched an electric bus-service initiative, called ElectriCity, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Beginning in 2015, the electric buses will run between Johanneberg Science Park adjacent to Chalmers and Lindholmen Science Park in Hisingen.
Linde North America is purchasing 20 liquefied natural gas-fueled trucks. The trucks, expected to be deployed later this year, will be integrated into Linde’s fleet of more than 700 trucks carrying cryogenic gases to customers throughout North America.
ChargePoint has completed its ChargePoint America Program with more than 4,600 shipments and installations of its home, public and commercial charging ports for electric vehicles. The program provides data to the US Energy Department through Idaho National Laboratory. The data, in turn, are publicly reported to help researchers, municipal planners, and other stakeholders learn more about where EVs are charged, when and how much energy is used.
CenterPoint Energy will add 35 natural gas vehicles to its fleet across Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Additionally, the company says it expects to provide natural gas service to at least 17 new compressed natural gas fueling stations built in the company’s service territory. The expected 2013 additions will bring the number of natural gas fueling stations in CenterPoint Energy’s service territory to at least 49.
The US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is partnering with Cobalt Technologies, the US Navy and Show Me Energy Cooperative to demonstrate that jet fuel can be made economically and in large quantities from a renewable biomass feedstock such as switch grass. NREL says it will convert biomass into sugars for subsequent conversion to butanol and then to JP5 jet fuel.
Schneider Electric has joined the Workplace Charging Challenge. Earlier this year, as part of President Obama’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, the DOE launched the Workplace Charging Challenge, with a goal to increase the number of American employers offering workplace charging by tenfold in the next five years.
IHS Automotive will provide Cenex, the UK’s Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, with analysis into the evolving hybrid electric vehicle/electric vehicle and alternative propulsion economy. Under the agreement, IHS Automotive experts will present on HEV/EV developments at the Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle (LCV) Event Sept. 4-5.
The DOE will award $9 million in new funding to accelerate the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for use in vehicles, backup power systems, and hydrogen refueling components. The effort aims to reduce the costs of hydrogen and fuel cells industry-wide, expand critical infrastructure, and build a solid domestic supplier base, the DOE says.
Photo Credit: Smith Electric Vehicles
