The list has finalized the draft list of “boutique fuels” put forward last June 2006 and will serve as the basis for any future adoption of boutique fuels into State Implementation Plans.

A boutique fuel is a unique fuel blend developed by a state or local air pollution agency and approved by EPA as part of a State Implementation Plan to support meeting national air quality standards. The list limits the number and type of different fuels used around the country.

To read more about the list, click here.

The proposal, according to the EPA, requires the emission control monitoring of trucks and buses to be like of cars. Also, that will ensure that the emission control systems would work properly in the service lifetimes of the said vehicles.

OBDs, used in cars since the mid-90s, monitors emissions control components, detects the need for emission-related repairs and alerts the operator when these problems occur. It also informs service personnel of what problem/s exist so that it could be properly repaired. OBD system for highway trucks will also work the same way, according to the proposal.

The proposals are part of the Clean Diesel Truck and Bus Program, which aims in reducing significantly nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, non-methane hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and air toxics from diesel-powered vehicles. The reductions are estimated to prevent at least 8300 premature deaths, more than 9500 hospitalizations and 1.5 million lost work days.

The proposal also makes changes to certain existing OBD requirements for smaller highway diesel trucks.

The penalty came after the company failed to inform the EPA about air pollution control defects in its 1998-2006 vehicle models. Mercedes must also improve on its reporting system and emissions defect investigation to ensure its compliance, pegged at around $ 1 million annually.

After the EPA had investigated the matter, Mercedes voluntarily recalled vehicles with two of the defects, while informing the ownersthat it will extend the warranty of those with three of the defects. The car maker would have to spend at least $59 million to implement the recalls and the warranty extension.

“These defect reporting requirements are a critical part of EPA’s program to reduce air pollution by ensuring that vehicles on the road comply with the Clean Air Act’s emissions standards,” said Catherine R. McCabe, principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

The Clean Air Act requires auto manufacturers to file a defect information report with EPA not more than 15 working days after an emission-related defect is found to affect 25 or more vehicles, so that EPA may consider whether the defect will cause emission standards to be exceeded and whether a recall is necessary.

The vehicles subject to the voluntary recalls and extended warranties may have defective catalytic converters or defective air pumps. The voluntary recalls and extended warranty will reduce the emissions of harmful pollutants caused by the defects by over 500 tons cumulatively. These pollutants include nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO). NMHC and NOx are key ingredients in the production of ozone, a major contributor to cancer-causing smog. CO impairs breathing and is especially harmful to children, people with asthma, and the elderly.

The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final approval by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

For more information, click here.

The two year study, undertaken by members of the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), looked into a variety of design improvements to minimize aerodynamic  drag and improve fuel efficiency.

Some of the study’s findings were displayed at the DOE, which include:

• Gap enclosure: minimizes aerodynamic drag in the gap between the tractor and trailer
• Side skirts: reduces airflow under the trailer in crosswinds and improves aerodynamics
• Boat tails: reduces “wake” airflow by tapering the trailer’s back
• Side mirror design: minimizes drag by reconfiguring shape and support systems

Combined, these improvements could result in as great as 23 % reduction of drag. For every 2 % reduction of dragm, there is an equivalent 1 % improvement in fuel efficiency.

International Truck and Engine Corporation, Freightliner LLC, Mack Trucks, Inc., and Volvo Trucks North America comprised the TMA contingent. The four companies represent 75 % of the US market for Class 8 trucks.

The study was funded by the DOE FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Office through the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

WestStart-CALSTART in Pasadena, CA, will install 15 publicly accessible E85 refueling stations along interstate highways in the Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and the San Joaquin Valley areas.  Additionally, five of these locations will potentially also have biodiesel fueling capability.  Team members include CleanFuel USA, United Oil, Pacific Ethanol, State of California, and General Motors.  Clean Cities partners include Southern California, San Joaquin Valley, and Central Coast.
DOE Share:  $495,000 Proposed Total Project Cost: $2,371,363

National Biodiesel Board in Jefferson City, MO, will install six biodiesel blending terminals at existing petroleum facilities in five states including Arizona, Florida, Indiana, New York, and Pennsylvania.  The primary approach of the project is to market biodiesel in relatively low blending ratios with conventional diesel.  Team members include Sustainable Energy Strategies, HWRT Oil Company, Independence Biofuels, Inc., Sprague Energy, TransMontaigne, and West Central.  Clean Cities partners include Greater Long Island, Greater Philadelphia, Tucson, and Florida Gold Coast.
DOE Share:  $494,998 Proposed Total Project Cost: $3,539,101

World Energy Alternatives, LLC in Chelsea, MA, will expand the availability of biodiesel by installing rack-injection, in-line blending capabilities at four diesel terminals including Tacoma, Washington; Champaign, Illinois; Robinson, Illinois; and Toledo, Ohio.  The proposed in-line blending is expected to significantly improve quality control of the final product.  Team Members include Marathon Petroleum Co, Sound Refining Inc, and the City of Toledo.  Clean Cities partners include Puget Sound and Central Ohio.
DOE Share:  $707,700 Proposed Total Project Cost: $3,165,360

Commonwealth of Virginia in Richmond, VA, will install up to 12 publicly accessible E85 fuel dispensing stations along the I-95, I-64 Crescent Corridor that passes through Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.  This project will make E85 available to an estimated 15,000 public and private flex fuel vehicles.  Team members include the State of Maryland, the DC Energy Office, the General Services Administration, and General Motors.  Clean Cities partners include Virginia Hampton Roads, Maryland, and Metro Washington.
DOE Share:  $284,000 Proposed Total Project Cost: $767,000

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in Albany, NY, will install up to about 30 publicly accessible E85 refueling stations across the state of New York and will leverage the New York State Thruway Authority’s activities in developing E85 along state thruways. Team members include the NY Department of Transportation, NY Department of Motor Vehicles, NY Thruway Authority, and NY Dept of Agriculture and Markets.  Clean Cities partners include Western New York, Genesee Region, New York City, Greater Long Island, and Capital District.
DOE Share:  $500,000 Proposed Total Project Cost: $1,170,000

Prometheus Energy Company in Seattle, WA, will install a liquefied natural gas (LNG) refueling station at the Kiefer Landfill, located in Sacramento, California.  The station will serve the County of Sacramento’s fleet of garbage trucks that currently run on LNG and other LNG-capable waste hauling fleets that use the landfill.  Team members include NorthStar Inc., and the City of Sacramento.
DOE Share:  $600,000 Proposed Total Project: $1,200,000

The Triangle J Council of Governments in Research Triangle Park, NC, will install E85 refueling infrastructure at 21 stations and B20 infrastructure at 14 stations along heavily traveled interstates in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.  Team members include United Energy, Osage, and Georgia Power.  Clean Cities partners include Triangle, Palmetto State, East Tennessee, Middle Georgia, and Centralina.
DOE Share:  $586,000 Proposed Total Project: $1,353,080

State of Colorado in Denver, CO, will install publicly accessible E85 and biodiesel refueling stations at five locations throughout Colorado. Work will also include educating car dealers and the general public about the benefits of alternative fuels.  Team members include Great Western Ethanol, General Motors, and numerous state and county agencies.  Clean Cities partners include Colorado Springs, Northern Colorado, and Denver Metro.
DOE Share:  $350,000 Proposed Total Project: $1,047,000

State of Indiana in Indianapolis, IN, will establish a network of E85 and Biodiesel refueling stations spanning from Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico.  The project will coordinate the placement of 31 public access alternative fuel refueling stations along 886 miles of the I-65 corridor from Gary, Indiana to Mobile, Alabama including 19 stations in Indiana, three in Kentucky, three in Tennessee, and six in Alabama.  Team members include the Indiana Soybean Board, the Indiana Department of Transportation, the Kentucky Energy Office, the Tennessee Energy Office, and various retailer outlets.  Clean Cities partners include Central Indiana, South Shore, Middle Tennessee, Central Alabama, and Kentucky.
DOE Share:  $1,332,288          Proposed Total Project: $2,874,689

Salt Lake City Clean Cities Utah Clean Cities Coalition in Salt Lake City, UT, will expand the compressed natural gas (CNG) public refueling structure with two additional stations and assist three CNG customers in adding refueling facilities for expanded fleet usage.  The two public CNG facilities will be along I-15.  Team members include Questar Gas Co, Qwest Communications, Diamond Parking, and Durrent’s Bakery.
DOE Share:  $370,000 Proposed Total Project: $1,259,600

Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority in Springfield, OR, will establish one wholesale E85 rack in a centralized location and install a minimum of 15 E85 retail refueling stations in the Pacific Northwest along the I-5 corridor.  Team members include the Oregon Department of Energy, Tyree Oil, Sequential Biofuels, and Star Oil.  Clean Cities partners include Puget Sound and Columbia-Williamette.
DOE Share:  $662,425 Proposed Total Project: $1,487,325

Kum & Go, L.C. in West Des Moines, IA, will install E85 refueling infrastructure at 24 of their existing retail stations.  Nineteen sites are in Iowa and the rest are in South Dakota and Minnesota.  General Motors is a team member.
DOE Share:  $1,500,000          Proposed Total Project: $3,500,000

Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities, Inc. in Philadelphia, PA, will convert 14 existing refueling infrastructure locations to have E85 dispensing capability.  These stations will be located along a 200-mile corridor from State College, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.   Team members include General Motors, Independence BioFuel Inc., and various retailers including Worley & Obetz, and Shipley.
DOE Share:  $280,380 Proposed Total Project: $914,880

INCREMENTAL COST OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES (AFVs)                        

Paramount Scaffold, Inc. of Carson, CA, will receive cost share funding for the incremental cost of replacing 44 existing diesel-powered, medium-duty flat-bed trucks with 44 liquid-propane-powered trucks for the company’s service area of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas.  Team members include CleanFuel USA and Expo Propane Inc.  Clean Cities partners include Southern California.
Requested DOE Share:  $267,410        Proposed Total Project: $631,820

IDLE REDUCTION TRAINING AND AWARENESS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Salt Lake City Clean Cities Utah Clean Cities Coalition in Salt Lake City, UT, will create and disseminate a model idle-reduction program that can be easily replicated by school districts across the country to help them reduce petroleum consumption, save on fuel costs, minimize harmful emissions, and protect children’s health.  This project includes the development of an idle-reduction curriculum, training in six partnership school districts in Utah and Nevada, and the dissemination of the school bus idling reduction model to schools nationwide.  The current idling baseline will be established to determine the effectiveness of the program.  Team members include the National Energy Foundation, the Nevada Office of Energy, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, the National School Board Association, the Cache County School District, the Washington County School District, and the Salt Lake School District.
DOE Share:  $100,000 Proposed Total Project: $115,000

Association of Central Oklahoma Governments in Oklahoma, City, OK, will conduct idle reduction training and awareness for school districts in central Oklahoma.  The project will include the development and demonstration of techniques to reduce fuel usage and harmful emissions, demonstration of the benefits of idling policies, publishing and presentation of project results including best practices and fuel savings realized, training of transportation directors, bus drivers and key communicators, and dissemination of results to all Oklahoma school districts and school districts nationwide.  Team members include the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the Choctaw Nicoma Park Public Schools.   Clean Cities partners include Central Oklahoma.
Requested DOE Share:  $50,242          Proposed Total Project: $50,242

It will bring up to $25 million in funding the United states’ alternative fuel program.

These projects were selected under three topics: Refueling Infrastructure for E85 and Alternative Fuels; Incremental Cost for Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Idle Reduction Training and Awareness in School Districts.

“This public-private partnership helps bring diversity of supply to our transportation fuel market,” DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman said. 

“We need to integrate a diversity of supplies and a diversity of suppliers in order to reduce our reliance on any one particular type of fuel, or particular supplier.  By building our energy infrastructure we create an environment in which American consumers have more choices in the transportation fuel they use.” he added.

The Refueling Infrastructure topic area covers projects that will include new refueling facilities, or additional equipment or upgrades and improvements to existing alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) refueling sites.

In this project, 13 were selected to include the installation of E85 in both converted and new stations. There were also additional projects that will focus on the installation of biodiesel blending facilities to improve the availability and distribution of low-level biodiesel blends.

Two projects, meanwhile, focused on the infrastructure for compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). If succesful, these projects can reduce up to 30 million gallons of petroleum-based fuels.

The Incremental Cost for Alternative Fuel Vehicles topic area will support projects for the incremental cost of placing new or  converted highway-certified vehicles. A project for propane-powered vehicles was selected and is expected to reduce up to 100000 gallons per year.

The Idle Reduction Training and Awareness for School Districts,meanwhile, considered the development and implementation of comprehensive school bus driver, student, faculty, and parent education and awareness programs to eliminate or reduce idling in school districts.  Two projects were selected under this topic.

The EPA, in a statement, said that they are partnering with the Small Business Administration to provide loans to purchase SmartWay Upgrade Kits. These kits include fuel reduction technologies such as idle-deduction devices, low rolling resistance tires, aerodynamic equipment and exhaust after-treatment devices.

The upgrade kits can improve fuel efficiency by 15 percent and will save up to $8000 per year in fuel costs, while reducing soot and nitrogen oxides emissions substantially.

This new loan initiative is another step forward in our nation’s efforts to conserve resources, achieve energy independence, and reduce the emissions that contribute to soot and smog,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation.

“By taking these actions and making advanced truck technologies more affordable, we are responding to the president’s call for greater fuel efficiency.”, Wehrum added.

Through the SBA Express Loans, small truckers borrow from $5000 to $25000 with no collateral and flexible loan terms. They can apply online or via telephone. Small truckers can pay through affordable monthly payments. Loans will be approved quickly, according to partner lending firms.

The initiative’s partners include the Bank of America, Business Loan Express, Superior Financial Group and other SBA lenders.

Touted as the world’s first commercially produced and marketed hybrid car, the Toyota Prius has emerged a bestselling car model following the “green” revolution that came after environmentally conscious consumers demanded for it.

Almost half a milion Toyota Prius units have been sold in Japan, North America and Europe since it first came out in 1997.   The 2000-2003 models have been classified as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV), which is 90% cleaner than most vehicles,  by the California Air Resources Board. From the 2004 version, it has been reclassified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV). Many people bought the Prius (“first” in Latin) because of its advanced technology, low particulate emissions and high fuel efficiency.

Like most hybrid vehicles, the Toyota Prius relies on gasoline as its fuel source. Its 1NZ-FXE engine has won numerous International Engine of the Year awards since 2000. The engine drives the electric motor and recharges the batteries. Its onboard computer decides on the most efficient way of its engine and/or electric motor, depending on the driving conditions present.

The Prius also uses its electric motor to recharge its batteries when braking; the heat energy is conserved and reduces wear on the brakes.

The Toyota Prius has become a popular car, because of its numerous tax breaks and perks afforded to its owners. Later on,  actors hoping to make an “environmental” statement would be seen driving one.

With today’s environmentally conscious consumers going green over so many things, many car manufacturers have turned into “green” car production, hoping to get a headstart over the competition and carving out a niche in the business.

One such car model is what manufacturers have termed “hybrid”. Hybrid cars, as the name suggests, is a combination of old and new technology, bringing forth cars running on internal combustion engines and electric motors.

Hybrid vehicles, tests and applications have shown, offer more gas mileage and fuel economy compared to other vehicles. Honda’s hybrid, Insight, in fact, tops the list with its 68 miles per gallon. Also, hybrid vehicles have smaller engines and can be run on higher speeds, bringing more efficiency.

“Fully charged” hybrids use their internal combustion engines to generate electricity, either to recharge their batteries or to directly feed and drive their electric motor.

Most hybrids run on either gasoline or diesel as their fuel source, but there are others that rely on fuel cells, hydrogen or biofuels like E85. 

The technology has expanded to other applications, so there are now hybrid locomotives or trains, light and heavy trucks, buses and even taxis. There are even hybrid mopeds and other two-wheeled vehicles.

Advantages of hybrid technology include lower petroleum consumption (via reduction or recapturing of wasted energy), greater fuel economy, reduced noise and air pollution and reduced wear and tear of parts, specifically on the engine and brakes.

The federal and various state governments has implemented various schemes to promote this technology, like tax credits/deductions, exemption on smog tests, free parking, lower registration costs and others.

Things are on the bright side for this technology, as worldwide there is a movement for anything green.