Posts Tagged ‘electric vehicles’

As part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to reduce U.S. oil imports by one-third by 2025, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced new steps underway at the Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles. This includes the availability of $5 million in new funding for community-based efforts to deploy electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and charging stations. He also outlined a partnership with Google, Inc. and more than 80 EV stakeholders to help consumers find charging stations nationwide. Secretary Chu and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made the announcement on a conference call with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup, and St. Paul Mayor Christopher Coleman – leaders of three of the nation’s nearly 100 Clean Cities Coalitions.

“The Department of Energy’s Clean Cities initiative is bringing together local governments and industry to demonstrate the benefits of advanced technology vehicles and help communities use less oil and gasoline to power their vehicles,” said Secretary Chu. “The initiatives announced today are just the latest steps in our broader efforts to reduce America’s dependence on oil, improve our energy security, and save families and businesses money.”

Under the $5 million in electric vehicle funding announced today, local governments and private companies will partner to apply for funding to help accelerate installation of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure. Communities will work to develop plans and strategies for EV deployment, update their EV permitting processes, develop incentive programs, or launch other local or regional initiatives that improve the experience of EV users and help bring these highly energy-efficient vehicles to the marketplace. More information on the Funding Opportunity Announcement, including application instructions and deadlines, is available at the FedConnect website under the title “DE-FOA-0000451 Clean Cities FY 2011 FOA.”

In a related effort, DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is joining with Google, Inc. and various industry leaders to provide consumers with consistent, up-to-date information about the EV charging stations in communities nationwide. Drawing on Google Maps, this new collaboration will coordinate an online network of all U.S. charging stations and will serve as the primary data source for GPS and mapping services tracking electric vehicle charging locations. More information is available on the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) website.

The Clean Cities Program is a public-private partnership that brings together federal, state and local governments, the auto industry, private sector fleet operators, and community leaders to help communities make their vehicle fleets more energy efficient. Since its inception in 1993, Clean Cities Coalitions and its stakeholders have saved nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline. The Clean Cities Program supports a broad portfolio of technologies, including alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy measures, idle reduction technologies, and emerging technologies like electric vehicles. More information is available on the Clean Cities website.

The 2012 Department of Energy budget has been submitted to Congress and Electric Vehicles are the popular topic! the VT budget jumps by 80 percent from $325 million to $588 million. The majority of the new budget will go towards the expansion of electric vehicle deployment and infrastructure creation. This is a $200 million increase in the program that will largely benefit the Clean Cities program where metropolitan areas provide grants for purchasing of EVs and charging equipment.

For more information and to see the extended article please visit: http://www.matternetwork.com/2011/2/doe-transportation-budget-all-about.cfm

Friday, December 17, 2010

Late Thursday evening in Washington, D.C. Congress passed the 2011 tax package, which includes incentives for the purchase of alternative fuels. According to the Associated Press, the package consists of “A series of incentives for selling, using and producing alternative fuels, including ethanol. Many of the provisions expired at the end of 2009. They would be extended through 2011. Cost: $11.3 billion” (Associated Press). In addition, the tax extension includes tax credits provided to property owners, both residential (up to $1,000) and commercial (up to $30,000), for installing electric vehicle charging systems in their home or workplace. In a press release the Electric Drive Transportation Association stated, “We applaud Congress for extending these charging station tax-credits for the growth of plug-in electric vehicles in the U.S.” (http://tinyurl.com/25urzav). In addition, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives reinstated a biodiesel tax incentive that had been eliminated in 2009. In an announcement presented on the Biodiesel.org website it said, “The biodiesel tax incentive is structured in a manner that makes the fuel price competitive with conventional diesel fuel in the marketplace.” (www.biodiesel.org). Lastly, the new Tax Bill for CNG and propane, “…extends the 50 cents per gallon excise tax credit retroactively for calendar year 2010 and through December 31, 2011. It also extends tax credit incentives for developing natural gas fueling infrastructure,” (www.tradingmarkets.com). All of these tax credits and incentives are expected to be signed into law by President Obama today, Friday December 17, 2010.

These alternative fuel and technology tax credits and incentives will continue to help the U.S. become more educated about alternative fuel energies, create more U.S. jobs and become less dependent on foreign oil- a step forward to ensuring air quality for future generations.

NYCLHVCC stakeholder, Smith Electric Vehicles, is selling electric vehicles to the New York City and Lower Hudson Valley Community. Check out this wonderful article about some of the companies that are getting involved, the savings they are achieving and how their shareholders are positively responding.

Check out the article HERE.

NYCLHVCC and NYPA are hosting an EV Symposium on November 30th! This event will cover a huge amount of information on Electric Vehicles including:

• Discussion on EV Readiness
• OEM Panel Discussion
• EV Charging 101
• Funding Opportunities
• Ride & Drive

Event Details:

November 30th, 2010; 9-4pm

NYPA: 123 Main Street White Plains, NY

For Directions click HERE

RSVP to: info@nyclhvcc.org

(212) 839-7728

In a recent New York Times article, “Wind Turbines are Coming to NYC, and Not Just Offshore” describes how NYC is paving the way to making wind power a real resource to offset the use of fossil fuels. With a plan to build five wind towers, about 30 stories high, the hope is to generate 7.5 megawatts which would power almost 2,000 homes as soon as 2013.

New York  is actually very windy. Therefore, it makes an ideal place to build these (and more) wind towers. If wind towers can be built to offset fuel consumption in homes and buildings, why not in vehicles? In a study performed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on the west coast found that, “if utilities generate 27 percent of their electricity from wind and solar energy across the Western Interconnection grid, it would lower carbon emissions by 25 to 45 percent, depending on the future price of natural gas. It would also decrease fuel and emissions costs by 40 percent.” The more renewable energy we use to power our electrical grid, like wind turbines, the greener NYC’s electric vehicles that emit zero emissions on the road can be. Wind turbines can now be thought of as a way to generate energy to power the city’s buildings AND vehicles.

In addition to building these wind turbines to create clean energy alternatives, President Obama visited ZBB Energy Corporation in Menomomee, WI on August 17, 2010 to discuss the potential job creation this new technology will provide. In his remarks to the workers at ZBB Energy Corporation he said, “Here at ZBB, you’re building batteries to store electricity from solar cells and wind turbines. And you’ve been able to export batteries around the globe, and that’s helping lead this new industry. For years, we’ve heard about manufacturing jobs disappearing overseas. Well, companies like this are showing us how manufacturing can come back right here in the United States of America, right back here to Wisconsin.” In addition to the job creation the building of the wind turbines will create, many more industries and companies will be created and grow to capture the energy the wind turbines can produce.

Seems like a wind-wind situation to us!