Bright Automotive Unveils The IDEA

Joanna Schroeder

1_voc_crop_090416b1In the race to develop and produce more efficient electric vehicles, Bright Automotive has launched a brand-new, 100-mpg plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) fleet vehicle –The IDEA. This is one of the first PHEVs designed “for the people by the people,” to compete in the light-duty truck market. The vehicle offers 180 cubic feet of interior space and a 1-ton payload capacity. Perfect, claims Bright, for commercial fleet use.

Beginning in 2012, the company plans to be produce 50,000 vehicles per year that will provide companies and government agencies, such as the post office, with a cost-saving, eco-friendly American made fleet vehicle. But maybe more interesting than its features and fuel-economy, is that Bright Automotive developed the IDEA in less than one year. It has taken some companies, such as GM, years to develop PHEVs such as the Chevy Volta, which has yet to begin full-scale production, and on average current hybrid vehicles have yet to achieve more than 60 mpg. It looks like the smaller auto companies, such as Tesla Motors and Bright Automotive are poised to own the PHEV market.

3388564188_4427beac121The company, based in Andersen, Indiana was formed in January 2008 as an offshoot of the Rocky Mountain Institute and haspartners that include Alcoa, Google.org, Johnson Controls and the Turner Foundation. Consumers got their first preview of The IDEA on April 8th and Washington lawmakers were able to drive around town on April 21st.  The worldwide unveiling of the IDEA will be in May at the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS24) in Norway.

So how does it work? It is unique in that on a full charge, the IDEA uses battery power for the first 30 miles, using little to no gasoline. Once the driver exceeds 30 miles, the car functions like other hybrids. When you factor in battery vs gas usage plus miles driven, say 50 miles, the car gets the equivalent of 100 mpg.

The IDEA should prove to both American consumers and Washington DC policy makers that PHEVs are a reality and will hopefully encourage American automakers to step up their research development and production of electric vehicles.

Car Makers, Electric Vehicles

New Study: Evaluating Options for GHG Mitigation

Joanna Schroeder

logo_corpThere is a lot of dialogue surrounding the best way to create energy and environmental policies, specifically around greenhouse gas emissions. The RAND Corporation recently released a study, “Evaluating Options for U.S. Greenhouse-Gas Mitigation Using Multiple Criteria,” that evaluates three past attempts to develop energy policy. The study notes that the majority of current policy focuses on cost-effectiveness but policy that relies on this criteria is unlikely to survive.

The paper identifies four normative criteria that can be applied to GHG-control systems and examines their implications for how packages of GHG policies might perform against these criteria. The criteria include: cost effectiveness, fairness of distributional inputs, incentives for innovation and adaptability of policy framework.

The authors offer lessons to be learned about the policies they reviewed and noted, “Well-crafted environmental policies need to address not only efficiency issues but also equity or distributive issues and appeal generally to the public and industry.”

Ultimately the paper finds that policies likely to have political viability and achieve environmental goals will:

• Include burden-sharing mechanisms that are transparent, means-tested, and limited in scope and duration when considering incentive-based greenhouse gas mitigation policy.

• Couple the mitigation policy with a strategic framework for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) to reduce long-term GHG emissions, including a clear role for public-sector financing from revenues generated by the mitigation policy.

• Limit irreversible commitments in order to maintain the ability to adapt to uncertain and changing future circumstances.

This is an informative policy paper especially for those lobbying on behalf of the renewable energy industry. Click here to download a free copy of the report, “Evaluating Options for U.S. Greenhouse-Gas Mitigation Using Multiple Criteria“.

Company Announcement, Energy, Environment, Legislation

10 Big Oil Front Groups to Watch

Joanna Schroeder

front_groups_badgeFront groups are as old as Big Oil. These are coalitions, committees, alliances and think tanks that are created by organizations that don’t disclose their support. They usually have misleading names, for example the Citizen’s Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE), which is now defunct, and often consumers take them and their positions at face value, not understanding the group’s underlying goals or implications.

There are several common threads among the front groups that are supported by enemies of renewable energy (most often Big Oil) with the largest number of them publishing documents and supporting research that proves global warming doesn’t exist. This goal is achieved in many ways with the most prominent being the support of groups that promote “sound science”.  Another popular strategy is to fund think tanks to write papers that outline policies that are beneficial to the energy industry (oil, coal, natural gas).

Many of our readers have contacted me asking how to determine if an organization is a “front group”. In response, I did some research and following are 10 groups to watch outlined in a free issues brief, “10 Big Oil Front Groups to Watch”. This list is by no means exhaustive but encompasses organizations that are currently very active in the public debate about energy and environment.

1. The Heartland Institute
2. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)
3. Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)
4. American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
5. CATO Institute
6. Center for North American Energy Security (CNAES)
7. American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)
8. George C. Marshall Institute
9. Food Before Fuel
10. Cooler Heads Coalition

Click here to download a copy of “10 Big Oil Front Groups to Watch“.

Opinion

VW Ready to Race on Biodiesel

John Davis

vwtdi2A race circuit for young drivers to get their professional careers going… while running on a clean, renewable fuel, gets started this weekend. The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series kicks off at VIRginia International Raceway on April 25 & 26… the second year that VW has offered a new way of thinking about auto racing.

The series, sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, sets up the young drivers in identical factory-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDIs running on a 5 percent blend of biodiesel. That way you know it’s their driving skills and not some mechanical advantage one engine has over the other. This press release from the National Biodiesel Board points out it is the only clean diesel racing series in the United States, and Volkswagen is the only auto manufacturer participating in motorsports full time with diesel powered cars:

Houston-based HYPERFUELS is also the official fuel sponsor of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI race season, powering the series with its high performance Syndiesel® B5. That’s a blend of 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent synthetic diesel fuel. This biodiesel blend provides a winning combination of benefits, offering the highest cetane rating of any diesel fuel on the market today and 20 percent more BTUs than conventional diesel. It has the added benefits of increased lubricity and reduced emissions from the domestically produced, renewable biodiesel component.

About 12,000 gallons of biodiesel blended fuel will be used to power the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series, from the Jetta TDI race cars running on B5, to the transport trucks and generators running on 20 percent biodiesel blends. The overall carbon emissions of the series will be reduced by more than 33,760 pounds.

Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager for Volkswagen of America, Inc. said, “The addition of Syndiesel® B5 in the Jetta TDI Cup race cars further demonstrates the feasibility of biodiesel as an alternative fuel source for American consumers, and supports the clean and green racing of the Jetta TDI Cup series. Volkswagen also supports the use of up to B5 biodiesel blends in all of its TDI clean diesel powered vehicles available at local Volkswagen dealerships today.”

By the way, Jess Hewitt, President of HYPERFUELS, is also the Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board’s marketing committee.

Biodiesel, NBB

KL Energy Corporation Expanding Into Brazil

Joanna Schroeder

kl-energyKL Energy Corporation, based in Rapid City, South Dakota, has announced a partnership agreement with add blue Ltda, based in São Paulo, Brazil, to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil utilizing KL Energy’s cellulosic ethanol technology for the use of sugarcane bagasse and straw feedstock. The plant will use KL Energy’s enzymatic process which will be integrated into a conventional sugarcane mill, and is expected to go online in 2010.

“KL Energy had been looking for opportunities to enter the Brazilian ethanol market. Our agreement with add blue is the perfect fit to expand our business strategy as a global cellulosic ethanol technology provider,” said Steve Corcoran, CEO of KL Energy.

In addition, add blue will be the first company in Brazil’s sugarcane industry to apply Aspen Plus®, a process simulation tool designed to enable mill owners to increase capacities, yields and profitability. add blue is in the process of successfully concluding its first full scale process optimization project at a sugarcane mill in the State of São Paulo. addblue2

“Cellulosic ethanol has great market potential in Brazil and this is the ideal moment to introduce this technology,” said Peter Gross, Founder and Managing Partner of add blue. “The cooperation with KL has begun extraordinary well in all areas: the joint optimization of KL Energy’s enzymatic process for sugarcane mills, testing of bagasse feedstock in KL Energy’s commercial scale facility, and Aspen Plus powered process optimization.”

Brazil is the world’s 2nd largest producer of ethanol. Today, more than 360 mills are operating in Brazil, all of them generating significant amounts of sugarcane bagasse, an ideal feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production. KL Energy was the first company in the U.S. to bring a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facility online in January 2008 based in Upton, Wyoming using woodwaste as the primary feedstock.

Cellulosic, Company Announcement, Ethanol, International

Canadian’s Support of Biofuels Strong

Joanna Schroeder

canadian-rfa-logoPublic support for biofuels continues to grow in Canada according to national poll results released today. The poll was conducted by Praxicus Public Strategies and funded by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.

When respondents were asked if they support replacing some fossil fuels with renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, 69 percent said yes. This is an improvement from last year’s results. In addition, 76 percent of respondents support the passing of a five percent renewable fuel standard by 2010 and 87 percent support federal policies that would encourage the development of next generation biofuels.

Environmental support also scored high with Canadians strongly supporting the development of environmentally friendly and viable alternatives to fossil fuels as part of an “Energy and Environment” agenda. Respondents want to see increased fuel efficiency at the top of the agenda followed by alternative fuel development. Support for both of these policies scored higher than regulating the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The poll was conducted April 15-18, 2009 had a national sample of 1,000 Canadians. It has a margin or error +3.1% nineteen times out of twenty. To learn more about the poll and its results, visit www.greenfuels.org.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, International

Ethanol Report on California ARB Decision

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol Report PodcastCalifornia has adopted the first-ever fuel requirement that is carbon-based – and that’s a good thing. “What is frustrating to the ethanol industry is that the board still went ahead and approved a program that has some really ridiculous land use data,” says Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen.

Despite the Board’s vote, Dinneen says RFA remains cautiously optimistic that its decision to form an expert work group will provide an opportunity to get the standard right. In this edition of “The Ethanol Report,” Dinneen talks about the decision, what it could mean for ethanol, and what the industry is doing about it.

You can listen to “The Ethanol Report” on-line here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/ethanol-report-31.mp3]

Download audio for broadcast use here: Ethanol Report on California ARB Decision

Or you can subscribe to this podcast by following this link.

Audio, Environment, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, News, RFA

California Motorists Fill Up With Cellulosic Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

graphic2In what might be one of the first deals of its kind, Pearson Fuels, a company installing “alternative fuels stations” across the state of California, has inked a deal with AE Biofuels, Inc. to supply cellulosic ethanol for its E85 and other ethanol fuel blends. Pearson Fuels, based in San Diego was the first company to build an E85 station for the public in California six years ago and has since begun expanding north.

aeb_logo_topAE Biofuels, based in Cupertino, California just launched a 9,000 square foot demonstration facility in Butte, Montana that will be producing cellulosic ethanol from various feedstocks. To date, they are utilizing various grasses, wheat straw, corn stover, corn cobs, and bagasse. The company is working with Verenium to develop the enzymes.

Mike Lewis, the owner of Pearson Fuels was quoted in the Union Tribune as saying his would be the first stations selling ethanol not made from food plants. “The reality is that there’s none out there on the market,” he said. “Bringing in any is big news.”

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed; however, AE Biofuels will supply Pearson Fuels with other biofuels, along with cellulosic ethanol, for distribution. AE Biofuels has several corn ethanol production facilities as well as biodiesel facilities. This partnership came at a strategic time as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted 9-1 to pass the low carbon fuel standard yesterday requiring a significant reduction of carbon emissions from fuels over the next decade.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, E85, Ethanol, Miscellaneous

Ethanol Groups Disappointed by California Ruling

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol interests are expressing their disappointment in this week’s ruling by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to adopt a low carbon fuel standard that uses controversial methods to determine indirect land use changes attributable to biofuels.

RFA“Adopting this standard sets a dangerous precedent about the application of unproven science to industries across the country,” said Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “This standard is based on flawed analysis and selectively enforced penalties against biofuels only. In unfairly penalizing ethanol, ARB is relegating California to more petroleum use as biofuels are the only viable alternative liquid fuel.”

Growth EnergyGeneral Wesley Clark, co-chairman of Growth Energy agrees. “This was a poor decision, based on shaky science, not only for California, but for the nation. It is unfair to selectively single out the indirect effects of one fuel pathway while ignoring the significant indirect effects of all other fuels, including petroleum. (This) decision puts another road block in moving away from dependence on fossil fuels and stifles development of the emerging cellulosic industry.”

In issuing the decision, RFA notes that the Board also voted to form an expert work group which may still provide an opportunity to improve the standard. “Forming such a group is a clear signal that several important questions regarding the science and methodology used to develop and implement this standard remain unanswered,” said Dinneen.

Energy, Environment, Ethanol, Growth Energy, RFA

California Adopts Standard Biased Against Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite stringent arguments by the ethanol industry, California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) yesterday approved a Low Carbon Fuel Standard that could jeopardize continued development of the advanced biofuels it is intended to promote.

CA ARBAccording to a press release from the board, “The new standard means we can begin to break our century-old dependence on petroleum and provide California with greater energy security” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “The drive to force the market toward greater use of alternative fuels will be a boon to the state’s economy and public health – it reduces air pollution, creates new jobs and continues California’s leadership in the fight against global warming.”

According to ARB analyses, to produce the more than 1.5 billion gallons of biofuels needed, over 25 new biofuel facilities will have to be built and will create more than 3,000 new jobs, mostly in the state’s rural areas. Production of fuels within the state will also keep consumer dollars local by reducing the need to make fuel purchases from beyond its borders.

However, the biofuels industry believes the indirect land use modeling in the standard will do just the opposite. Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Executive Vice President Brent Erickson said, “Unfortunately, the rule adopted today – in particular the inclusion of indirect land use change measurements and methodology – may discourage investment in continued research and development of the same low carbon biofuels that are needed by California to meet its goals.”

California does intend to provide resources for research and development by providing “approximately $120 million dollars per year over seven years to deploy the cleanest fuels and vehicles.” Regulators expect the new generation of fuels to come from the development of technology that uses algae, wood, agricultural waste such as straw, common invasive weeds such as switchgrass, and even from municipal solid waste.

Environment, Ethanol, News