ZAP Secures $25 Million in Funding for EVs

Joanna Schroeder

zaptruckpkZAP, a company leading the way in electric vehicle (EV) development, announced that it has secured $25 million in new financing with Cathaya Capital, L.P. Ultimately the investment will be managed by its affiliate partner Better World International who is developing EV charging infrastructure. ZAP will use a portion of the funding to pursue longer-term contract production and assembly commitments, and to accelerate deliveries of trucks and vans to fill current fleet and government orders. With the addition of this funding, ZAP has now raised up to $31 million in new financing for ZAP’s electric vehicle capital expansion since June.

“This is a critical juncture for ZAP as we now have the means and resources to begin addressing the opportunities at hand on a global basis and to fully realize the leadership position possible in the electric vehicle marketplace,” said Steven Schneider, CEO of ZAP.

ZAP has 15 years of experience in the distribution and sale of 100 percent electric vehicles. They are leveraging this with their expertise in the design and manufacture of electric vehicles to improve on the current technology and accelerate development of powertrain technology that improves overall performance of its vehicles while achieving cost reductions.

The proceeds of this financing also will enable ZAP to expand its vehicle distribution network into the European Union (EU) where recent government incentives supporting the adoption of electric vehicles have increased demand for practical models at affordable prices. In addition to targeting market opportunities in the EU, ZAP intends to pursue automotive opportunities in China. Last month, the China Daily called for government incentives on the purchase of vehicles that reduce pollution and minimize dependency on oil.

Company Announcement, Electric Vehicles, News

Cars Using Cellulosic E85 Have Lowest CO2 Emissions

Joanna Schroeder

WorldAutoSteel has released a 2nd iteration of the automotive materials parametric Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model, which allows for broader evaluations of automotive materials, powertrains, fuels, and vehicle total energy consumed. The study showed that celluosic E85 is the best fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as compared to all other alternatives, including hybrid technology and fuel cells. This phase 2 LCA model is a successor to the Phase 1 model and was released under the expertise of Dr. Roland Geyer of the University of California’s Bren School for Environmental Science.

“This report reinforces the promise of ethanol as the cleanest, greenest fuel for our cars even when compared to hybrid and fuel cell technology,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy.” Today’s ethanol plants are 60 percent better than gasoline and cellulosic ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by even more – as much as 86 percent. Unfortunately, an arbitrary government cap on the amount of ethanol that can be blended with gasoline is stifling the development and commercialization of second-generation biofuels and needs to be increased. Further, we need automakers to manufacture more flex-fuel vehicles so they can utilize higher blends of ethanol. These common sense solutions can speed up the introduction of cellulosic ethanol to the marketplace, making America’s homegrown fuel even cleaner and greener, while creating green collar jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

fig5_webThe Phase 2 model incorporated several new features including adding magnesium and several composites to the materials that may now be evaluated for their emissions from manufacturing through use and end-of-life; advanced powertrains including diesel and fuel cells; the ability to evaluate the impact of biofuels and other ag sources for the production of these fuels; and the capability to produce an analysis of total energy consumed over a car’s life cycle to compliment the total greenhouse gas emission analysis.

You can download the model here.

biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Growth Energy, News, Research

The Time is Now to Apply for a USDA Loan Guarantee

Joanna Schroeder

TonsagerFor the past several months, grants and incentives have been released to help keep the biofuels industry moving forward and successful. One set of programs that were launched through the stimulus package gave $1.7 billion dollars for business and industry loan guarantees – but very few are taking advantage of this program. This according to Dallas Tonsager, keynote speaker during the 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show, and Under Secretary for Rural Development with the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA).

Under this program businesses are eligible for working capital refinancing, machinery and equipment, real estate and construction, business development, and expansion. Also under this initiative, USDA Rural Development will consider loan term adjustments as part of a comprehensive business stabilization strategy including adjustments in interest rates, principal reduction and loan terms.

According to Tonsager, another action item of his department is to implement the renewable energy provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill. In addition to the $1.7 billion mentioned above, these provisions provide another $1 billion in funding. In addition, the American Recovery Act funding provides $11 billion to develop a smarter grid, $6.3 billion for state and local renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts, and $600 million in green job training. Tonsager pointed out that updating technologies at current ethanol plants that will increase the plants energy efficiencies qualify for this funding.

The funds will expire on September 30, 2010 so the time is now to learn more about them, and Tonsager encourages people to contact their local state office. You can see pictures from Tonsager’s presentation as well as pictures from the entire conference in our Flickr photo album.

ACE, biofuels, conferences, Ethanol News

Wisconsin School to Hold Biofuels Symposium

John Davis

BEIS2009The University of Wisconsin-Superior will play host to the upcoming Bio-Fuels and Energy Independence Symposium, bringing together researchers from laboratories, universities and businesses around the Midwest to talk about the latest work in biofuels technology.

This story from KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota says the symposium runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at UW-Superior’s Rothwell Student Center:

The symposium is organized by American Science and Technology, based in Chicago.

Scientists from AST and UW-Superior are working collaboratively on federally funded research to develop cold-tolerant bio-fuels using plants from northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota.

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton will deliver the symposium’s keynote address.

The symposium will be held in the Rothwell Student Center Ballroom and rooms 217 and 218.

The event is free and open to the public.

Go to the meeting’s Web site, www.amsnt.com/BEIS.htm, for more information.

biofuels, Research

Advanced Biofuels Group Tax Exempt

Cindy Zimmerman

advance biofuelsAdvanced Biofuels USA is now officially recognized as exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue code making the organization qualified to receive tax deductible donations.

The purpose of the organizations is to promote public understanding, acceptance, and use of advanced biofuels; to promote research, development and improvement of production, marketing and delivery of advanced biofuels; and to improve advanced biofuels crops and products.

The organization is in the process of fundraising for a number of special projects, including the development of a curriculum-based educational series for K-12 science classes to help students and teachers understand the basics of plants, algae and other organic materials and how they can be converted to advanced biofuels, as well as expanded online educational products such as webinars and educational videos on advanced biofuels.

biofuels, Energy

ACE Announces 2009 Awards

Joanna Schroeder

If you missed the 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show hosted by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) then you probably haven’t heard who won the 2009 awards. So I’ll fill you in.

Award Winners

The Merle Anderson Award went to David Hallberg who formed the Renewable Fuels Association in 1981. In addition, he is a director of the Nebraska Ethanol Board and a former director of ACE.

The Policy & Legislative Leadership Award went to Undersecretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack is the former Governor of Iowa.

The Grassroots Award went to Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company. Based in Benson, Minn., the plant is one of the longest-tenured of the cooperative ethanol facilities in the country.

The Media Excellence Award went to Peter Rohde, editor of Kiplinger’s Biofuels Market Alert based in Washington, D.C.

The Paul Dana Marketing Vision Award was given to Kwik Trip, Inc. They were one of the first to offer E85 in Minnesota and today have 60 E85 stations and counting.

The 2009 ACE Scholarship Winners and the ACE Scholarship Fund was awarded to: Jordyn Mallo, Tony Newman, Ryan Truax, and Jessica Weitgenant.

Congrats to all the winners!

You can see all the photos from the conference in our Flickr photo album.

ACE, conferences, Ethanol, News

Barley Ethanol Business Building

Cindy Zimmerman

Osage Bio Energy has a barley business partner and a winning bin builder.

Osage PerdueThe Virginia-based company just announced an agreement with Perdue AgriBusiness to source barley to operate its first barley-to-ethanol bioprocessing facility. Perdue, a leading grain supplier in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, is committed to working with local farmers to supply Osage Bio Energy with its barley needs for the Appomattox Bio Energy plant in Hopewell, Va., the first of its kind on the East Coast.

Osage barley winnerOsage Bio Energy, with co-sponsors Perdue AgriBusiness, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and General Motors, also announced the overall grand prize winner of the 2009 Barley Bin Builder Yield Contest. Bobby Hutchison of Hutchison Brothers Farms in Cordova, MD, won the grand prize of a brand new GM Flex Fuel pickup truck with his yield of 130 bushels per acre. Cash prizes of between $500 and $1000 were also awarded to the top-yielding farmers in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

“We are thrilled to reward these leading farmers for their outstanding barley yields in what was a tough year for small grains in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Craig Shealy, president and CEO of Osage Bio Energy. “The average yield per acre among all entrants to the yield contest was over 100 bushels an acre, with an average yield in Virginia of approximately 109 bushels an acre. These are nice results, especially considering the weather prior to harvest.”

Osage Bio Energy plans to sponsor another yield contest next year. Details will be available this fall through the company’s Web site, www.osagebioenergy.com, and through local extension agents.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming, feedstocks

Ma Bell Uses Alternatives to Cut 300 Tons of Emissions

John Davis

AT&TEfforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions are paying off for AT&T.

This story posted on EnvironmentalLeader.com says the telephone behemoth’s conversion of some of its fleet vehicles in California to alternative fuels are part of a bigger plan that also includes solar panels and recycling scrap metals:

AT&T also introduced a new fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles that will lower its vehicle operating costs while reducing emissions. In 2008, the roll out of more that 105 alternative-fuel vehicles saved the company nearly 34,395 gallons of fuel, and reduced emissions by more than 300 metric tons.

The communications company expects to roll out 43 alternative-fuel vehicles in 14 California cities in 2009. This is part of a company-wide plan announced in March, to invest up to $565 million nationally over the next 10 years on alternative-fuel vehicles, reaching more than 15,000 by 2019.

AT&T is also planning to install and operate a 1-megawatt solar power system at its San Ramon campus, producing power equal up to 25 percent of peak power and 5.5 percent of the facility’s annual electricity consumption… about the same amount of energy to power more than 165 California homes each year.

Miscellaneous, Solar

Greener Tires

Cindy Zimmerman

Reducing our dependence on foreign oil means looking at alternatives for all kinds of products that use oil as an ingredient – like tires, for example.

Wood science researchers at Oregon State University have found that microcrystalline cellulose, which can be made easily from almost any type of plant fibers, could replace silica as a reinforcing filler in the manufacture of rubber tires.

Cellulose fiber has been used for some time as reinforcement in some types of rubber and automotive products, such as belts, hoses and insulation – but never in tires, where the preferred fillers are carbon black and silica. Carbon black, however, is made from increasingly expensive oil, and the processing of silica is energy-intensive. Both products are very dense and reduce the fuel efficiency of automobiles.

In the search for new types of reinforcing fillers that are inexpensive, easily available, light and renewable, OSU experts turned to microcrystalline cellulose – a micrometer-sized type of crystalline cellulose with an extremely well-organized structure. It is produced in a low-cost process of acid hydrolysis using nature’s most abundant and sustainable natural polymer – cellulose – that comprises about 40-50 percent of wood.

In this study, OSU researchers replaced up to about 12 percent of the silica used in conventional tire manufacture. This decreased the amount of energy needed to compound the rubber composite, improved the heat resistance of the product, and retained tensile strength.

Traction is always a key issue with tire performance, and the study showed that the traction of the new product was comparable to existing rubber tire technology in a wet, rainy environment. However, at high temperatures such as in summer, the partial replacement of silica decreased the rolling resistance of the product, which would improve fuel efficiency of rubber tires made with the new approach.

Cellulosic, Energy

Sustainable Biodiesel Maker to Distribute in Rockies

John Davis

RMSEA maker of sustainable biodiesel in Colorado has inked a deal to supply biodiesel to a distributor for three years.

This press release from Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises says the company will supply up to 4.5 million gallons of biodiesel a year for the next three years to fuel distributor Gray Oil Company, Inc.:

The biodiesel will be supplied from RMSE’s Colorado bioXchange refinery, a $5 million plant that breaks ground this fall and will be the state’s only producer of premium biodiesel from sustainable resources, producing fuel that meets federal ASTM standards.

“We are excited to be working with Gray Oil, a premier fuel distributor in the Rocky Mountain region, and market leader in the adoption and promotion of biofuels,” said [RMSE CEO Aaron] Perry. “This agreement helps us close the loop on truly sustainable biodiesel supplies that are regionally sourced, produced and used, while delivering highest value to our restaurant and commercial facility customers.”

Gray Oil chose to work with Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises because RMSE’s product delivers much higher value than other biodiesel fuels on the market.

“The fact that RMSE is deploying state of the art biodiesel production technology that can produce the fuel from recycled feedstocks such as used cooking oil while maintaining the highest quality and fuel performance specifications, allows us to deliver a premium biodiesel fuel product to our customers at price points much more competitive with petroleum diesel,” said Tom Gray, CFO of Gray Oil.

The press release goes on to say that RSME will be using a European multi-feedstock technology at its Colorado bioXchange plant.

Biodiesel