Alternative Energy

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles are all the rage these days, and Volkswagen is revving up to enter the domain electrified vehicles. In a new report, it is revealed the the ol’ Vdub will put a plug-in hybrid drivetrain into its  next-gen MkVII Golf, and it will be capable of delivering the equivalent of 141 mpg.

That’s in Imperial gallons though; in the U.S. that’s about 117 mpg, still an incredible number, though these conversions are far from an exact science. Let us not forget GM’s magical 230 MPG claim.

But in this case, AutoExpress has gotten behind the wheel of a prototype vehicle, and they seem rather impressed. A 1.4 liter turbocharged gas engine is supported by a powerful 80 kW electric motor. The plug-in Golf will have an all-electric range of around 30 miles, and from the sounds of it, the electric motor does most of the work except at very high speeds. As a result the VW claims the this next-gen plug-in Golf will emit as little as 46g/km of emissions.

It all sounds very promising, though price and real-world performance will be what matters most. 2015 is a long ways away, and you know what they say about something that sounds too good to be true.

It probably is.

Source: AutoExpress

The Republicans and Democrats don’t really get along these days, but there seems to be one area of common ground between the two parties; natural gas as an alternative to oil. Unfortunately, the expensive tanks needed to hold compressed natural gas put a hefty price premium on CNG vehicles. But Chesapeake Energy and 3M are teaming up to design a cheap tank design that is lighter and holds more fuel. But are they chasing the dragon?

Right now CNG tanks represent a big chunk of the cost of a CNG conversion because of the intense pressure (around 3,600 psi) they are under. They must stand up to accidents, fire, and gunshots, because something that flammable under that much power would result in a very big boom. As a result, the equivalent of a 10-gallon gas tank can cost around $1,000, and unlike gasoline tanks, CNG tanks have expiration dates, again due to that high pressure.

But these tanks are almost all made from high-strength steel that is both heavy and costly. 3M, in a partnership with Chesapeake Energy, is working to develop a resin-based tank solution that using nano-particle enhanced resins. These tanks, it is hoped, will be 10-20% lighter with a 10-20% increase in capacity. Today’s tank technology weighs around 125-lbs per tank, and each is only able to hold the gasoline-equivalent of 10 gallons. A 20% weight reduction/capacity increase would result in a sub-100 lb. tank that could hold up to 12 gallons gas-equivalent. All for less money.

CNG vehicles could put a dent in oil’s dominance in the market, though legitimate concerns about fracking remain. But as a domestic energy source, can America do better than natural gas, right now? The CNG market is expected to explode in the coming years, especially in the heavy-duty truck market. 3M wants a cut of that pike, and Chesapeake Energy is a big player in the natural gas market. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.

Source: Green Car Congress

Anyone who knows EV’s knows that the highest cost of doing business comes from the expensive battery technology that, I think it is fair to say, has not matured. It’s a lot like the first cell phones or tablets; pricey at first, but more and more affordable as time goes on. During a stockholder meeting, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says that he believes the cost of EV batteries will drop below $200 a kWh in the “not-too-distant future.”

What does that mean? Any number of things. Tesla has unveiled two new models in the past year, the Model S sedan and Model X crossover, and both already have substantial pre-orders. So much so, in fact, that Tesla is not loaning cars to auto journalists prior to it going on sale, breaking a much hallowed tradition as sucking up to the people who review your billion-dollar products.

While so far Tesla has focused on high-end luxury electric vehicles, they are also working on a cheaper EV for the masses. When asked about the $200 kWh battery price tag that will supposedly help make EV’s cheaper and more competitive on the open market, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he sees the price dipping below that point on the “not-too-distant future.”

Tesla has been quoted as saying the Energy Storage System, or ESS, on the $109,000 Roadster costs around $36,000 to replace. At 53 kWh, that puts the battery cost per kWh at $679. If the price per battery were $200 per kWh, that would shave off over $25,000.

Tesla is planning to unveil a cheaper, mass market EV in the next few years, perhaps as soon as 2015. But will that be enough to bring more people over to the EV market? These days it all comes down to money…but who knows where the world economy will be in four years? If a Republican gets elected, is he going to pull the plug on electric vehicle incentives and research loans?

Scary thoughts, but Tesla is committed at this point, and I think think Musk is all-in with this venture. He has to make it work, and if Tesla ever hopes to be more than a profitable acquisition or niche luxury car maker, it will have to make a car for the masses (like me!)

Source: Autoblog Green

Many people are trying to figure out what is the government’s “fair share” of income from the nation’s wealthiest people and corporations. In a move that is sure to upset anti-tax advocates, the Obama administration wants to raise the royalties that land-based oil drilling operations pay by 50% It would be the first such oil royalties hike since the 1920’s, and it is naturally meeting with resistance from the fossil fuels lobby.

Right now, on-shore drilling operations pay a 12.5% royalty rate, while off-shore operations pay 18.75%. According to Secretary of Energy Salazar, the Obama administration wants to raise the on-shore rate to the off-shore rate, meaning that all oil operations would pay an 18.75% royalty rate.

Sounds pretty stiff, but consider this; the government has been offering many oil companies royalty-free leases on-shore and off for much of the past century. And in countries like Iraq (90%) and Saudi Arabia (85%), the royalty rates are much, much higher. Obviously oil companies want the lowest rates possible, but they’ll not find them in the first world.

Even Canada charges a royalty rate of 25% for oil and tar sands alike. That is half of America’s current on-shore royalty rate, and the oil and gas industry is absolutely booming for our Northern neighbor. At a time when oil companies are generating record profits, I think it is only fair that they should have to pay extra money on land that belongs to the people of the United States. And keep in mind the billions in tax subsidies the oil industry receives, on top of free leases in special areas that have cost the U.S. billions in lost income.

Such an increase would also probably bring energy prices more in line with where they should be. Gasoline has been undervalued and over subsidized for too long, unfairly dominating the marketplace. Once people get used to the true cost of oil, alternatives will appear much more attractive. I think the administration should follow through on this royalty increase, which would be the first of its kind since the 1920′s. Big Oil has been too comfortable for too long; let’s shake things up.

Source: CleanTechnica | Image: bioraven via Shutterstock

While plant-based biofuels hold a lot of promise, many of these fuels require complicated, expensive, energy-intensive processes to make even a little sustainable fuel. Hoping to find influence or a breakthrough from Mother Nature, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are turning to the bubbling cauldrons of Yellowstone National Park. They are looking for a strain of bacteria that can break down biomass into usable biofuels in a single, “one-pot” process.

The “one-pot” biofuel solution would streamline the breakdown process, allowing biomass to be thrown into a cauldron with a microorganism that breaks down the plant matter and produces usable ethanol, no further steps required. Right now most plant-to-ethanol conversion processes require multiple stages at high temperatures and pressures in order to break down the lignin, which allows plants to form rigid, upright bodies.

The Oak Ridge researchers are hoping to find a bacteria in Yellowstone’s natural hot springs that can break down lignin in a one-pot process that is both cost and time efficient. Their studies have led them to Caldicellulosiruptor obsidiansis, a natural bacteria found in the hot springs that does its best work at high temperatures.

C. obsidiansis was tested against four carbon structures, including switchgrass. The researchers studied the reaction to switchgrass as the bacteria processed an expanded set of proteins to help break down the plant’s cell structure. Researchers hope that this natural bacteria can lead them to discovering a new process for creating biofuels from plant matter. Other research has show the potential for bacteria like E. coli to turn plants into fuel, but perhaps Yellowstone’s famous hot springs hold the secret to sustainable fuel.

Source: Oak Ride National Laboratory

Unlike some automakers who are diving head first into the electric car field, Ford is focusing a lot of energy on wringing the most MPG’s from petrol-powered engines. European countries are especially sensitive to the high cost of gasoline, so it makes sense that Ford has launched its 1.0 liter, 49 MPG EcoBoost Focus in the Old World. But will it come to America?

The EcoBoost line of engines are designed to maximize fuel economy from good ol’ gasoline, which remains an amazing source of energy. The smallest EcoBoost engine is a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder that comes in a 98 horsepower and 123 horsepower flavors. The 98 horsepower version offers the best fuel economy Ford has ever gotten out of a non-hybrid; 4.8 liters/100km , or about 49 mpg on the U.S. standard, though converting from one standard to another is not an exact science or a direct translation.

Even if the number is a few mpg’s short of 49 mpg, an engine capable of delivering decent horsepower with such stellar fuel economy should prove a big hit in cost-conscious Europe. But is 98 horsepower enough for American buyers?

I think so. While Ford is focusing on the launch of the 1.0 liter EcoBoost overseas in places like Europe and Asia, I think it is only a matter of time before this engine comes to the U.S. There are plenty of cars for sale in America that have around 100 horsepower, and even less torque, than the 1.0 liter EcoBoost (which cranks out at least 125 ft-lbs) is capable of.

Even if Ford were only to import the brawnier 123 horsepower model, which delivers a few less mpg’s (5 liters/100 km or 47 mpg) that is still better fuel economy than any other pure-petrol compact car. However, the 1.0 liter EcoBoost might only be available in the Fiesta, rather than the Focus. Americans tend to equate car size with engine size, and a 3-cylinder Fiesta might be an easier sell.

I’d give serious consideration to a turbocharged 3-cylinder car with that kind of gas mileage. Would you?

With less than a week left in February, I am starting to give up hope for a good snow storm this winter. I know it’s hard to say any particular weather event is linked to climate change, but I’ve never seen such a dry, warm winter.

Anyways, here is your daily dose of green news. This morning’s highlights include a Montreal man who spent a year living on his bike, a floating wind farm for Malta, and the cost of $100 a barrel oil.

Montreal Man Spends382 Days Living On HIs Bicycle [Treehugger]

Panasonic Looks To China For Li-Ion Batteries [Plug-In Cars]

Floating Wind Farms For Malta [CleanTechnica]

Gingrich: “You Can’t Put A Gun Rack On A Volt [Autoblog Green]

The Cost Of $100 Crude [The Energy Collective]

Hybrid, Kia Sued By Paice Over Copyright Infringement [Business Week]

We focus a lot on the use of oil in vehicular applications, but the fact of the matter is that all oil isn’t burned. Plastics are made from petro-chemicals and can be found in everything from carpets to music CD’s. If we’re going to make our limited oil reserves last, we’re going to need to replace plastic, or find another way to make it.

Dutch Scientists are on the case, for the first time successfully creating the basic building blocks of plastic production from plant matter. They’ve done so using nanatechnology to break down plant biomass into ethylene and propylene, two common chemical structures using in plastic production. The scientists used a catalyst of nanoparticles separated by carbon nanofibers that converted biogas into these two chemical components.

The hope is that non-edible biomass could be used to replace plastic production that relies on crude oil for these chemicals. The process did not produce excess methane gas either, so even those these plant plastics aren’t biodegradable, in the long run they’re probably cleaner than crude oil anyways.

Nanotechnology holds a lot of promise in the field of alternative fuels, and the use of plastics has never been higher. But there will always be the debate about using arable land for fuel production when there are so many hungry people in the world. But that doesn’t mean they should just stop trying; who knows what sorts of fruits these breakthroughs might lead to?

Source: Scientific American | Image: michy via Shutterstock

General Motors and General Electric are two companies that have been in the political crosshairs lately. GM stands accused of “crony capitalism,” while GE is under fire for paying no Federal income taxes in 2010. The two companies share more than that though, with GE placing an order for 12,000 Chevy Volts and other hybrid vehicles.

A memo leaked to Green Car Reports lays out GE’s plans for their new fleet of Volts, and as expected, it has some people crying foul.

The memo, sent to employees of GE Healthcare Americas team explains that all sedan, crossover, and minivan purchases in 2012 will be replaced by the Chevy Volt. Only field engineers are excepted from having to drive a company Volt.

GE will offer estimates for installation Level 2 Charging Stations, though all-gas use will be allowed when there is no electric option. Any employees who opt out of the Volt program will not be compensated for their expenses. Those who do choose to drive the Volt will be reimbursed for public charging and home charging costs, in addition to gas uses.

While some people are probably put off by having to drive a Volt, GE claims to have crunched the numbers and believes that in the long term, this will save the multi-national company big bucks. More than that though, GE is positioning itself as a big player in the EV charging market. Getting employees into Volts also means getting charging stations into homes.

It’s a bold move to be sure, and it will hopefully prove to be a boon to the Volt’s flagging sales numbers. GM had hopped to sell as many as 60,000 Volts in 2012, before dropping that number to 45,000. Will they even make that number though? Hard to tell, though GE’s business will go a long way towards giving the Volt some sales momentum.

Source: Green Car Reports

I’m still a newbie when it comes to automotive journalism, but I’ve already learned quite a bit about this strange world where automakers and writers are often indistinguishable from each other. One of the big perks is access to an automaker’s fleet of press cars, which big companies like Ford and Toyota are able to maintain without a second thought.

But with Tesla’s announcement that it will not provide press cars to journalists prior to the vehicle going on sale, some people are already saying the Model S is going to be a flop. I think this whole situation reveals more about the spoiled nature of auto writers than some nefarious scheme by Tesla to rip people off with an inferior product.

It is standard operating procedure for automakers to provide journalists access to new cars for an extended amount of time before it goes on sale. There are press fleets around every major city so newspaper, websites, and magazines all get access to these vehicles. But it isn’t cheap, maintaining these fleets, and it is also contingent on having the production capacity to take vehicles out of the market and relegate them to press duty.

Tesla does not have that luxury right now; there is a long list of people who have plunked down a chunky deposit on a Model S sedan. The electric automaker does not have a lot of production capacity right now, and the first few cars are going to trickle out to owners…who probably don’t even care what reviewers have to say about the Model S in the first place.

Some people are comparing Tesla’s move with that of major film studios, who deny critics access to the film until it hits theaters. But car reviewers don’t like to share, and as it is I am sure Tesla has a list of reviewers who get first dibs to the Model S anyways. Down the road, if Tesla is still around, this policy may change…but I think it’s a big to-do about nothing, and the only people who are really complaining are the writers who don’t get a free luxury ride for a week before anybody else does.

Source: Left Lane News

Happy Funday Monday everybody! I hope your weekend was as productive as mine. On this morning’s menu are Fisker’s lawsuit woes, Fox News confuses GM with GE, and a mystery EV is spotted testing on the open road.

Investor Sues Tesla For Fraud [O.C. Register]

Smith Electric Vehicles To Build EV Buses For China [Green Car Congress]

Shape Field Bike Is Lightweight Retro Cool [Treehugger]

Fox News Confuses GM With GE, Blasts Both Anyways [Mediaite]

MIT Finds Way To Make Solar Panels From Grass Clippings [Inhabitat]

Mystery EV Spotted Testing Out On Roads [Autoblog Green]

In the midst of a long weekend for many of our U.S. readers, I have one more reason for you to love electric cars. That reason is torque.

An electric motor generates torque on a flat curve – maximum torque right off the line – as opposed to a combustion engine, which has a curve of torque increasing with the revs. In other words, the IC engine has to get going before it can make any significant amount of torque. The electric motor generates its torque by running current through the wire, generating a magnetic field, which pushes against another magnet, and there’s the force.

The practical aspect of this – or why it is that we care about quickly generating torque at all – is it directly affects how quickly a car can get off the line. This is of great importance if you’re trying to drag race someone (we all do that, right?).

This Is Not Just Idle Speculation

As a demonstration of just how much better an electric car is at getting off the line and zooming ahead of the gas-driven competition, the automotive version of the Mythbusters, the Stuntbusters, performed two tests. One pitted a Porsche 911 Carrera (6-cylinder engine, 385HP) against a Tesla Roadster (288HP). The Tesla is also lighter than the 911, which undoubtedly helps, but the Roadster totally smoked the Carrera anyway (which, incidentally, is also good press for anyone wanting the Model S).

But those are luxury cars, you may be saying, not something I’d ever have in my driveway. Well, in that case you’re in luck – the second pair took a ’69 Chevy Camaro, with a 427 big block engine, and pitted it against a ’65 Coupe Kit Car converted to run all electric. 1,400 lithium ion batteries gave the ’65 Coupe 250HP and 1300 ft/lbs. of torque.

If you guessed that the DIY electric car conversion beat the pants off the Camaro, you would be right – super speed right off the line. Check out the video below:

Any comments or questions? Let us know below.

Source: Stuntbusters.

While Big Oil doesn’t seem that worried about the slow but steady increase of alternative energy sources and green cars (a hybrid still runs largely on gasoline, after all), in Japan at least one major oil company appears to be hedging its bets. Cosmo Oil, which did ¥2,831 billion worth of business in 2011, has started a new service it calls the “EV Life Support Service.”

Lease an Electric Car from the Gas Company?

Cosmo Oil Company, Ltd., is based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, operates 4 oil refineries around Japan, and has a gas stations liberally scattered throughout the country as well. It’s one of the first to respond to a federal government-based initiative (the 2011 Response for Support of Next-Generation Gas Stations), which is meant to help transition Japan from oil dependency to renewable power.

EV Life Support Service, available starting this month, includes the following:

• an EV lease

• vehicle inspection for the leased vehicle, plus replacement of consumable goods

• installation of a normal charger (rated for 200V)

• access to Cosmo Oil’s rapid charger service network

• access to renewable electricity

And the Electricity is Green

The directive Cosmo Oil is following was issued by METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry) through ANRE (Agency for Natural Resources and Energy), and Cosmo Oil is going a little bit above and beyond by installing solar power networks into its service stations. With Green Power Certification issued for the charging stations, EV drivers can recharge their vehicles with 100% green electricity.

The first customer taking advantage of the EV Life Support Service took delivery of the car and associated paperwork at a Japanese-style inn near the Shuzenji hot springs in the city of Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture – a popular tourist destination.

Cosmo Oil has said that it wants to include electric vehicle owners and drivers in its business models in the future – is that foresight or panic? You tell me, in the comments below.

Source: NIKKEI | Image: Nissan.

Lexus has been leaking information about the LF-LC concept for what seems like forever, dropping hints as to the hybrid nature of the drive train without giving anything substantial. I’m more reminded of the BMW Active Hybrid 5 than anything else.

Let me explain – there’s been a lot of talk about how the LF-LC is going to show off the direction of Lexus’ future development. Karl Schlicht, general manager for Lexus, explained to Auto Bild how the LF-LC is a series of hints for future cars:

“The key features of this concept car, with its full hybrid drive, will be incorporated into the production models we’ll be presenting over the next 24 months.”

Which Brings Me To The Idiocy

The LF-LC is a 2+2-seater sport coupe, and the best thing about it is the overall look; the deep aluminum frame around the grill in a somewhat hourglass shape, the front windshield leading into the glass roof, and the clean lines of the silhouette all leave their impression. The rear continues the hourglass motif, with four tailpipes peeking out from under the rear bumper. And this is supposed to be a hybrid?

BMW hijacked the environmental friendliness of an electric drive to provide lackluster performance while appearing to assuage guilt, and I can’t see that much of anything inspired by the LF-LC could do otherwise.

The interior of the LF-LC is a match for the exterior, by which I mean it’s got a number of touch screens placed for maximum convenience to control everything from navigation to audio to climate. In addition to all of these gadgets sucking power from the hybrid batteries (leading to further gasoline consumption), they are not likely to last long-term.

Nothing about this car leads me to believe that Lexus is heading toward lower emissions and better mileage. What about you? Let us know what you think in the comments, below.

Source: AutoBild | Image: Lexus.

In what could be a preview of the future, Washington has become the first U.S. state to impose an annual tax on EV drivers to make up for lost tax revenue. This is because electric vehicles don’t need gas, which is taxed to to provide for road repairs and infrastructure improvements. This move has some environmentalists up in arms, but it might not matter in the long run anyways.

First off, the fee imposed is small; just $100 a year. Gas taxes vary from state to state; Washington has one of the highest gas taxes at 37.5-cents per gallon. Add on to that another 18.4-cents per gallon for the Feds, and you get 54.9-cents per gallon in taxes that EV owners don’t have to pay.

While the number of EV owners right now is negligible, more fuel-efficient cars are becoming the norm even as the Federal gas tax hasn’t been raised in almost 20 years. The $100 tax in Washington will raise about $1.9 million, and EV owners are still only paying about half what the average resident pays in taxes.

Some environmentalists are upset that EV owners are being taxed, but the system for taxing cars based on gasoline consumption is nearing the end of its usefulness anyways. Cars have never been as efficient as they are now, and the increasing use of electrification means that some drivers could go months without putting any gas in their cars.

Most likely all future cars will move to a tax-per-mile-traveled system, an idea that is already being floated in places like the Netherlands. And while I may be for tax credits and/or rebates for EV buyers, I also think they should still have to pay their fair share in taxes. This is money that goes to Washington state for the repair of state roads that EV owners are using, same as everybody else. With so many state budgets falling short, EV owners should not be given a free pass.

Source: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Image: Jeff Hollis via Shutterstock

When writing about alternative fuels, there is often this sense of deja vu; like I’ve been here and done that. So it is not surprising in the least that I find myself once again writing that Congress is kick the ethanol industry while its down, and moving to block the sale of E15 gasoline at gas stations across the nation.

The move was spearheaded by Republican James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin on the House Science Committee as a response by an outcry of 31 automakers, pig farmers, and petroluem companies. The bill drew a 19-7 vote along party lines to block the sale of E15 without further scientific assessment.

E15 has already been exhaustively studied though, and the EPA has already approved it for use in 2001 and up model year cars. Furthermore, independent studies have confirmed that the use of E15 has no impact on fuel economy or engine reliability on cars dating back almost 20 years.

But that hasn’t stopped Congress from again blocking the sale of E15, which it did for the first time almost a year ago to the day. It is important to note that the EPA is not mandating all gas stations use E15; it is merely giving station owners the option of selling E15 at clearly-marked pumps. Yet House Republicans won’t even allow that, instead demanding further and further study.

It’s not another roadblock to ethanol industry which saw its Federal subsidies end last year as well has becoming a whipping boy for right-wing pundits to blast as an example of a failed alternative fuel. But studies suggest that ethanol use saves consumers almost 89-cents a gallon at the pump.

I just find it so deliciously ironic that the same Republican party calling for less interference from government is always standing in the way of the ethanol industry. Ironic, but not surprising, that’s for sure.

Source: The Detroit News

Few companies go ten years without turning a profit, and manage to stay alive. Tesla Motors has though, and it seems like CEO Elon Musk’s predictions that the company will turn a profit next year might actually come true. Hot on the heels of the Tesla Model S release, Musk and crew unveiled the Tesla Model X crossover.

And just as I predicted, the soccer mom’s flocked to the falcon-wing doors and seven-passenger seating. Tesla says that between the unveiling last Thursday and Valentines Day this past Tuesday, they took 500 reservations worth a cool $40 million.

This is serious cash we’re talking about too; at least $5,000 for a standard Model X, and up to $40,000 to reserve one of the few Signature models that will likely be the first ones to roll off the assembly line. All this for a car that nobody outside of a few employees and reporters have even seen in person. Then again, the Tesla Model S also got over 500 reservations in its first week, but something tells me the Model X crossover will be Tesla’s bread-and-butter.

And that wasn’t the only good news this week, as Tesla announced another deal with Daimler, parent company of Mercedes. Tesla will provide the old-school Mercedes brand with a new-school electric powertrain for an upcoming luxury roadster. Details are scant, but the deal is sure to put a lot more money in Tesla’s pockets.

Things are looking up for Tesla; the company expects to deliver its first Model S sedan this summer, and 5,000 of them by the end of the year. There are just 330 Tesla Roadsters left, and they expect to sell the last of them by the end of the year, mostly in Europe and Asia.

2014 is a long was away though, and I’m not sure the Model X will survive in its current form. People are fickle, especially rich people. Will the falcon-wing doors survive?

Source: GigaOm

TGIF, dear readers, and welcome to this week’s final green news roundup. This morning’s highlights include the the 54.5 mpg CAFE standard’s fine print, Tesla says it won’t need any more money, and Ryan Moore rocks an electric BRD motorcycle.

Fine Print Of 54.5 MPG CAFE Standard Emerges [Edmunds]

Ryan Moore Rocks A BRD Redshift Electric Motorcycle [YouTube]

ZipCar Teams Up With Local Gov’ts To Save Money [ZipCar]

New “Soft” Motor Made From Muscles [Science Daily]

More Plug-In Hybrid Makers Pushing The Button [Automotive News]

Tesla Motors CEO: We Don’t Need More Gov’t Money [Green Car Reports]

Our next stop on our bike tour of the nation brings us to New Orleans, where flat terrain, streets laid out in a grid system, and an abundance of festivals, historic districts, art happenings and phenomenal restaurants make biking not only accessible but well-worth it. It’s no wonder New Orleans is ranked 6th in biking and walking levels by the Benchmarking Report, and 10th in the nation for pedestrian and biking by 2010 League of American Cyclists (and sixth in the nation in terms of mode share for bike commuters).

With all the activity around biking, including 45 miles of bike pathways in place and a 20 percent increase in cycling between 2010 and 2011, New Orleans has its sights set on becoming the most bike-friendly city in the nation. The city was just awarded Bronze Level bicycle-friendly status from the League of American Bicyclists, so watch out! We’ve spoken to Jamie Wine, executive director of Bike Easy, and Jennifer Ruley, pedestrian and bicycle engineer and consultant to the City of New Orleans, to tell us how the city is doing it.

What’s Up, New Orleans? Complete Streets Ordinance Approved

Hurricane Katrina nearly demolished all of New Orleans in 2005, but the city took the federal government’s assistance as an opportunity to start fresh. According to Mr. Wine, with that influx of cash there was suddenly the idea “that we don’t have to do things the same way we’ve always done them.” And while the “federal money helped repair all the damaged roads from the storm,” says Mr. Wine, it was the city which painted the bike lanes and improved New Orleans’ streets to now include about 50 miles of bicycle facilities. A large majority of the new bike lanes were funded by local money dating from a transportation measure passed in 2004. New Orleans still has much room for improvement despite the new bicycle-friendly initiatives, improvements that will come with the Complete Streets Resolution signed by the  mayor in December, and might be the most significant advancement for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in 2011.

The Complete Streets concept “captures a systematic approach to design of our streets to accommodate the needs of everyone,” says Ms. Ruley. “Interest came from advocates who had been long advocating for accommodation of bicylcists, people with disabilities, transit users, pedestrians, and the like.” It used to be that one needed to look for elsewhere for funding related to bike and pedestrian developments, but not anymore with the ordinance. Adopting this model makes sense, says Ruley. The costs of painting a bike lane and the like “are so minor compared to the costs of building a street or roadway or whatever that these needs, accommodations, and facilities like bicycle and pedestrian facilities, should be considered in the project from the beginning.” The actual legistlation came from the City Council, which had convened meetings with different stakeholder groups, but it was ultimately a community effort to support the city joining the growing nation-wide trend. The Department of Public Works and the City Planning Commission are directed to “develop goals and metrics” for the program, which is to be “fully implemented” by December 2012.

Another interesting, if less sweeping, development is the Lafitte Greenway, which stretches from the back of the French Quarter all the way to the Lakeview neighborhood for 3 miles. This is another result of bike advocacy and a sort of public awareness renaissance post-Katrina. A greenway is “a more modern version of a linear park and they provide a specific transportation function as well as the benefits of a park function to communiteis and also help with environmental sustainability and those aspects,” says Ms. Ruley. The greenway will cost $7.6 million to develop a 3.1 mile stretch, funding that comes from Community Development Block Grant funds from Katrina. New Orleans Bike Culture It would take three posts to cover New Orleans bike culture and happenings, so we’re concentrating on a few.   Bike Easy, a grassroots non-profit committed to making riding bike in its namesake easy, safe, and fun, helps the good times roll on two wheels with their bike valet and Second Line.

Bike Easy has had a couple of goes at offering a bicycle valet program, which helps festival goers avoid hectic, expensive parking. Bike valets are becoming increasingly popular. “All this great stuff is happening: we’re encouraging people to ride to the festival, we’re giving them a safe place to leave their bikes so they can feel safe riding their bikes and not getting messed with while they’re in there,” and it’s a perfect tool for outreach and gaining visibility, too.

“We also get a chance to educate the bicycle rider: it’s a chance for us to talk to our audience directly, so we can talk to them about the complete streets measure or ask them to become members or come to one of our classes.” The Young Leadership Council’s (YLC) Where Ya’ Rack? program is also worth noting; racks are sponsored by citizens and business owners and installed by the YLC volunteers.

Bicycle Second Line is a parade styled after the second line, the big brass band that follows the main parade during Mardi Gras and beckons everyone to join in. “Our bicycle second line is just like that: you put a band on the back of a truck and we cruise around town through the French Quarter, we see the sites, and we pick people up on their bicycles.” You can also join Krewe of Bike-us on their ride if you have a costume, a bicycle, and an unwillingness to deal with poor parking on Fat Tuesday. And if you don’t feel like biking at all, you can take a pedicab instead. NOLA Bike Taxi offers an eco-friendly alternative powered by a fellow human being.

There are options for those who prefer mountain bikes, including the Mississippi River Trail, the 3,000-mile bike path that runs from New Orleans’ Audubon Park all the way up to Minnesota. The New Orleans Bicycle Club exists for those who have a little fire inside them, as well as the Critical Mass Rides. Should something happen to your bike during your play, just join the Plan B Community Bike Project in their work space for bicycle building and repair lessons. Volunteers help with bicycle repair and the place offers free use of tools. Don’t have a bike? NOLA doesn’t have a bike share program yet, but you can rent one from Joy Ride Bike Rentals while you enjoy I-Witness Central City, a cell-phone tour of the city’s intimate stories.

Challenges in 2012: Education and Street Health

Cars and bikes alike are jostled or destroyed by poor road conditions, which costs motorists an average of $681 a year. The federal money after Hurricane Katrina helped repair much of the city infrastructure, but, according to Mr. Wine,  there are also some deferred maintenance issues. The terrible roads can make riding difficult, but the solution seems to be long in coming: The Department of Public Works says it would take around “$3 billion to meet rehabilitation and reconstruction needs and another $40 million to $45 million a year to properly maintain the streets.”

Bike safety education, on the other hand, seems like something that can be tackled immediately. You won’t see New Orleanians decked out in bike gear, according to Mr. Wine. “Nine percent of our people, adult riders, wear helmets, where in most other cities in the U.S. it’s like 70 or 80 percent. Everyday riders ride in their skirts, they ride in their flip-flops, they ride with a beer in their hand, they ride without a helmet- it’s kind of like “live and let live”.”

Worse than not using helmets is the ninja salmon phenomenon. “People are riding against traffic. They don’t have bicye lights, and they don’t wear light clothes, so you have these dark clothed no reflectors- basically ninjas riding against traffic like salmon, so we’ve got these ninja-salmon out there that are like unavoidable sometimes when you’re on a vehicle!” says Mr. Wine.  Bike Easy just procured a grant to fund education, and will be offering two hour bike-safety classes in neighborhoods, community groups, churches, and schools to address those little bad habits and get the good folk of New Orleans to at least protect their heads. Education also covers car owners and police, of course. Many people bike in New Orleans, and people in vehicles, including police officers, don’t always know the rules. Sound familiar?

Images: Cheryl Gerber, Editor B

 

Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV, whatever its reception in the American market, is moving all over the world. The latest stop for the super-cute little EV is Thailand, where Mitsubishi Motors Thailand and the Thai company NED have signed a memorandum of understanding.

NED (Natural Energy Development Co., Ltd.) is a power company devoted to developing renewable energy. Currently, NED is building one of the largest solar power plants in the world in central Thailand’s Lopburi Province. When completed, the plant will have an output of 73 megawatts.

Where Does Mitsubishi Come In?

Mitsubishi Motors Thailand (MMTh), with the full understanding and cooperation of Mitsubishi Motors, is undertaking a joint research project with NED and the Thai federal government to test the feasibility of electric vehicles. The vehicle of choice for the test is the versatile i-MiEV.

The partnership with Thailand’s federal government goes all the way back to late 2010, when Mitsubishi conducted a number of driving tests. The tests apparently went well, as a second round of tests were conducted nine months later. The 2011 test run also saw Thailand’s metropolitan power distribution companies and their provincial subsidiaries participating, as well as the oil company PTT Public.

EVs are clearly cleaner and greener when powered by renewable energy – there’s not much point in zero emissions from the tailpipe if the plant generating the electricity is belching out coal smoke. Enter NED and their massive solar power plant, which could be a major contributing factor in a potential nation-wide EV charging network, and the memorandum of understanding geared toward finding the best way to market EVs in Thailand.

Questions or comments? Let us know below.

Source: Response.jp | Image: Mitsubishi Motors.