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amor de cosmos Apr 15, 2014 5:13 PM
Quote:
Low-Cost, Hydrogen-Powered Forklifts with Rapid Refueling, Zero Emissions Coming Soon
Released: 4/15/2014 5:00 AM EDT
Source Newsroom: Sandia National Laboratories

Newswise — LIVERMORE, Calif.— Zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell systems soon could be powering the forklifts used in warehouses and other industrial settings at lower costs and with faster refueling times than ever before, courtesy of a partnership between Sandia National Laboratories and Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers (HHC).

The goal of the project is to design a solid-state hydrogen storage system that can refuel at low pressure four to five times faster than it takes to charge a battery-powered forklift, giving hydrogen a competitive advantage over batteries for a big slice of the clean forklift market. The entire U.S. forklift market was nearly $33 billion in 2013, according to Pell Research.

“Once you understand how these forklifts operate, the fuel cell advantage is clear,” said Sandia’s project manager Joe Pratt.

Refueling hydrogen fuel cell powered forklifts takes less than three minutes compared to the hours of recharging needed for battery-powered forklifts, Pratt said. Consequently, fuel cell-powered forklifts are able to operate continuously for eight or more hours between fills.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/616499/

scalziand Apr 16, 2014 2:01 PM
• Video Link

amor de cosmos Apr 16, 2014 3:49 PM
Quote:
Researchers develop the first mobile charging system for electric vehicles
16 April 2014 Asociación RUVID

The Instituto Tecnológico de la Energía (ITE) in Spain has developed the first mobile charging system for electric vehicles. This system allows users to charge their vehicle from any plug -not just from a specifically designed one- as long as it has been previously authorised by an electric power company.

The PREMISE project aims to update the recharging process and make it quicker through a mobile system, one that no longer requires installing a charging point but can use a normal household plug.

The security of the system was one of the challenges overcome by the partners both in the field of operation of the networks, as in possible fraud of energy. These issues have been solved through the accurate identification of both the user and the authorised supply point and checking that it is an electric vehicle that is being recharged.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem...CultureCode=en

amor de cosmos Apr 17, 2014 7:22 PM
Quote:
In green car race, Toyota adds muscle with fuel-cell launch
By Norihiko Shirouzu, Paul Lienert and Yoko Kubota
TOYOTA CITY, Japan/IRVINE, California Wed Apr 16, 2014 5:05pm EDT

(Reuters) - In 1997, Toyota caught its competitors by surprise with the revolutionary Prius, the first commercially successful gasoline-electric hybrid car. Now, the Japanese firm is trying to do the same with a technology that seems straight out of science fiction.

Toyota Motor Corp will next year launch a hydrogen-powered car in the United States, Japan and Europe. For now, people at Toyota are calling it the 2015 FC car, for fuel-cell.

Fuel-cell cars use a "stack" of cells that electro-chemically combine hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity that helps propel the car. Their only emission, bar heat, is water vapor, they can run five times longer than battery electric cars, and it takes just minutes to fill the tank with hydrogen - far quicker than even the most rapid charger can recharge a battery electric car.

The 2015 launch culminates a 20-year zig-zag quest during which Toyota first struggled to get the technology to work and then strained to lower manufacturing costs enough to permit realistic pricing. It has also been playing catch-up to rival Honda Motor Co, which has set the early pace with its FCX Clarity, a sleek, purpose-built hydrogen car.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...A3F1UN20140416

Quote:
Future of Fuels
Posted by InfraUSA on Wednesday, April 16th, 2014

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CONVENIENCE AND FUEL RETAILING

In December 2013, the U .S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the early publication of its Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO2014), providing projections for the energy markets through 2040 . NACS used EIA’s report to prepare the following analysis.

“Future of Fuels 2014” seeks to determine how EIA’s projections will directly affect the retail fuels market, consumer use of specific types of light duty vehicles, and the pace at which alternative fuels may gain market share.

From this analysis, NACS discovered the following:
  • The vehicle miles traveled by light duty vehicles (LDV) is projected to increase nearly 29% by 2040 . This is lower than last year’s forecast of nearly 40% based on EIA’s revised method for calculating miles traveled and adjustments made to the demographics and behavior of the driving population.
  • The amount of energy required for a LDV to travel one mile is projected to decline approximately 42% by 2040 . The vehicles projected to be leaders in increased efficiency will be those powered by gasoline, natural gas and propane — each of which is projected to reduce energy consumption per mile by more than 40%.
  • Liquid fuels (consisting of gasoline, diesel fuel and E85) will remain the dominant energy source for transportation, losing only 0 .40% share of LDV energy consumption to 99 .28% in 2040.
  • Gasoline gallons consumed will decline by 24%, while diesel fuel gallons will increase 26% and E85 will expand more than 2,200% . Consequently, gasoline’s share of the liquid fuels market is forecast to drop from 71 .56% to 59 .12%, while diesel will expand from 28 .36% to 38 .84% and E85 will increase from 0 .08% to 2 .04%.
  • In the vehicle market, the share dominated by gasoline powered vehicles will drop 14% to 79 .92%; market share will increase for diesel powered and flexible fuel vehicles (capable of running on gasoline and E85), reaching 4 .07% and 10 .70%, respectively.
  • In the vehicle market, the share dominated by gasoline powered vehicles will drop 14% to 79 .92%; market share will increase for diesel powered and flexible fuel vehicles (capable of running on gasoline and E85), reaching 4 .07% and 10 .70%, respectively.
  • Non-liquid fuel alternatives (natural gas, propane, electricity and hydrogen) will increase their total contribution to the light duty vehicle energy consumption by 125%, but still only contribute 0 .72% of the energy consumed by 2040.
  • Electricity is projected to experience the strongest growth in the non-liquid market, increasing its share of non-liquid LDV energy from 2 .45% to 38 .47%.
  • Hybrid vehicles are forecast to capture the greatest share of the LDV market, growing from 1 .1% to 4 .4%; plug-in hybrids follow with a 2040 market share of 0 .95% and battery electric vehicles capture 0 .42% . Natural gas, propane and hydrogen vehicles combine to capture 0 .51% of the market.
  • On an energy equivalent basis, E85 is reported as the most expensive fuel in 2012, followed by gasoline and diesel fuel . By 2040, there is one change in the three most expensive fuels — diesel becomes the second most expensive behind E85 and above gasoline . Electricity and natural gas are the least expensive fuel choices throughout the forecast.
http://www.infrastructureusa.org/future-of-fuels/

M II A II R II K Apr 18, 2014 4:18 PM
2050 L.A. Fantasy Map:

http://i.imgur.com/YyA4Crd.png

amor de cosmos Apr 18, 2014 5:06 PM
every highway but done up like a subway map

http://b.fastcompany.net/multisite_f...-usa2000px.jpg

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3029238/...simplified-map

amor de cosmos Apr 18, 2014 5:07 PM
Quote:
The Silent Hybrid Motorcycles the Pentagon Will Use for Stealth Raids
By Allen McDuffee
04.18.14 | 6:30 am

Special Forces teams are all about silently penetrating remote areas and executing complex, lightning-fast raids. Now DARPA is developing a new vehicle to soundlessly race commandoes to their missions: stealthy, hybrid-powered motorcycles.

The idea is to develop a hybrid power system that relies on both electric and gas power, allowing special ops to go off-road and zip past enemy forces with the silence of an electric engine, while also being able to handle extended missions and higher speeds with a supplemental gas tank.

In February, DARPA awarded Logos Technologies a $100,000, six-month Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract for a preliminary design to see just how viable the project is.

“Quieted, all-wheel-drive capability at extended range in a lightweight, rugged, single-track vehicle could support the successful operations of U.S. expeditionary and special forces in extreme terrain conditions and contested environments,” said Wade Pulliam, manager of advanced concepts at Logos Technologies, in a statement. “With a growing need to operate small units far from logistical support, the military may increasingly rely on adaptable, efficient technologies like this hybrid-electric motorcycle.”
http://www.wired.com/2014/04/hybrid_bikes/

Quote:
How to Save a Half Billion Gallons of Diesel
Dave Hurst — April 16, 2014

Trying to reduce fuel use by Class 8 over-the-road sleeper cab tractors is a key challenge facing the trucking industry and regulators. The trucks use a tremendous amount of fuel (averaging about 6.6 mpg and traveling 80,000 to 100,000 miles per year) and have to provide the driver comfort as the trucks stop overnight. In order to provide the overnight creature comforts (sometimes referred to as hotel power), the trucks need to have a source of energy, whether an off-board source, the large truck diesel engine, or a small energy source called an auxiliary power unit (APU). The APU industry has been espousing the fundamental truth that utilizing APUs reduces fuel use, emissions, and associated costs by reducing idle times of the large truck engines.

Yet, one of the challenges is trying to understand just how much fuel and emissions are being offset by APUs. Having spent a large amount of my time at the Mid-American Trucking Show (MATS) this past March, I was able to speak with almost every APU manufacturer displaying at the MATS and have been able to pull together an estimate for these savings.
http://www.navigantresearch.com/wp-a...t-for-blog.png

http://www.navigantresearch.com/blog...lons-of-diesel

scalziand Apr 18, 2014 6:25 PM
I wonder if the APUs are capable of keeping the engines warm on cold nights, as that's another of the reasons engines are idled at night, at least in the winter.

M II A II R II K Apr 19, 2014 12:37 AM
New Starts: China Signs HSR Agreement With North Korea, Riyadh and Guangzhou Get Tons of Metros

Read More: http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/new-...-and-guangzhou

Quote:
According to KBS, a South Korean TV network, North Korea and China have signed agreements for a high-speed rail line cutting through the hermit kingdom. The Seoul Village blog translates, saying that the new railway would follow the existing Pyongui Line through North Korea’s eastern half, with another blogger saying that it would travel at around 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour.

The corridor is currently the main route for traffic to and from China, North Korea’s largest trading partner. (Kim Jong-Il was also a frequent passenger on the electrified main line, using it for trips to China because of his fear of flying.) While it would not pass through North Korea’s largest cities after Pyongyang, it would connect the capital to China and also to the city of Kaesong on the border with South Korea, a special industrial zone where South Korean businesses employ more than 50,000 North Koreans. The northern terminus of the line, Shinuiji, is just across the Yalu River from a Chinese high-speed rail line set to open next year.

China would build the 376-kilometer (234-mile) line at a reported cost of $15 billion, according to a translation by the Kojects blog, and then own and operate it for 30 years. In December, North Korea was rumored to have offered China the right to develop seven major mines in exchange for helping to build the project. The agreement appears very tentative, however, with no concrete steps taken.

If successful, it would be part of a pattern of (attempted) Chinese high-speed rail exports driven more by politics than economics — it is, after all, hard to see how such a line could make any financial sense given North Korea’s deep poverty. Chinese officials initially undertook their high-speed rail building program with the idea that they could export the technology, though the Wenzhou crash dashed those hopes, with Brazil and Burma rejecting Chinese bids over safety concerns. They’ve since managed to sell individual high-speed rail parts in the West and are doing civil works for a high-speed line in Saudi Arabia. Chinese leaders are continuing their push to export high-speed technology abroad, but have yet to sell any Chinese-designed train sets outside the country.

-----

While China has trouble exporting high-speed rail, it’s had no trouble expanding ordinary metro lines in its own cities. Last week, 12 new subway projects were announced in Guangzhou, China’s third largest city, including new lines and extensions. The 416 kilometers (258 miles) of new rapid transit expected to open in 2016 will more than double the system’s length, which currently stands at 260 kilometers. The total cost is estimated at 203.9 billion yuan, or $32.8 billion, yielding a per-kilometer price of a bit more than $110 million after adjusting for China’s low cost of living.

-----

The Saudi capital of Riyadh today has no urban rail transit today. But by 2019, the city is planning to have a full-blown network with six lines spanning 176 kilometers, or 109 miles, making the system longer than Chicago’s ‘L’ or the Washington, D.C. Metro. Ground was broken at five sites at once earlier this month. The total cost of the system is estimated at $22.5 billion, which works out to around $160 million per kilometer after a purchasing power parity adjustment — quite expensive given that much of the work will be elevated or at-grade rather than tunneled.

.....



http://d2srwfcq9qlp1g.cloudfront.net...900_600_80.jpg

amor de cosmos Apr 21, 2014 4:57 PM
Quote:
Musk Says Tesla Will Make Cars in China in Next 3-4 Years
By Bloomberg News Apr 21, 2014 7:06 AM PT

Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who’s preparing to begin deliveries of the Model S electric vehicle in China, said he expects to be making cars in the country in the next three to four years.

The company is also building a “big” network of battery-charging stations in China, including superchargers in Beijing and Shanghai, the billionaire CEO said at a packed Geekpark Conference in the nation’s capital today. Musk is scheduled to host an event tomorrow to mark the beginning of Model S deliveries in the country.

“At some point in the next three or four years we’ll be establishing local manufacturing in China,” Musk said. “China is very important to the future of Tesla. We’re going to make a big investment in China in terms of charging infrastructure.”

Local production in the world’s biggest auto market would allow Tesla to sell cars at cheaper prices by avoiding China’s 25 percent import tariff. While entering the country presents an opportunity for Tesla to sell as many vehicles there as in the U.S. by as soon as next year, Musk, 42, will attempt to accomplish what the Chinese government has struggled to do: get people to buy electric cars.

“I think they can sell quite a few here in the market,” said Finbarr O’Neill, president of J.D. Power & Associates. “There’s a lot of talk about Tesla but, you know, their numbers are not huge. Mr. Musk has been successful in many fields. I wish him luck, but there’s a limit to every market.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...motorists.html

Wizened Variations Apr 22, 2014 4:54 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by scalziand (Post 6545308)
I wonder if the APUs are capable of keeping the engines warm on cold nights, as that's another of the reasons engines are idled at night, at least in the winter.
All of this is going to h*ll on the small owner operator. The increasing sophistication of power plants and their computer controls (and the increasing pressure to have to buy new trucks that will cost even more), as well as the possible use of APUs either provided by the truck owner or by truck stop operators will be very hard on small truck companies.

Most certainly Walmucks truck fleet will be one the first to convert!

I do not know enough about diesel engines to suggest how to keep a motor warm without idling at -20C, but, I suspect that warm air could be blown through the crank case, or the engine's cooling system could be redesigned (switchable thermostats) and in line heaters*, and, running the right type of diesel fuel. Diesels can be very difficult to start, and, the amount of wear cranking a very cold large engine per engine revolution can be huge (like 100 miles of wear equivalents per minute**)

*Basically, a truck would need an exterior electrical plug in to provide power heat the antifreeze, and, operate the blower on the heater as well as truck driver amenities.

**Applies to a lesser extent to small gasoline powered engines, but hard cranking a gasoline engine at -30C will produce metal filings.)

Perklol Apr 22, 2014 6:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by amor de cosmos (Post 6545209)
Next! Let's see the rail map. :)

amor de cosmos Apr 22, 2014 6:21 PM
• Video Link

wong21fr Apr 22, 2014 6:24 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wizened Variations (Post 6549030)
A
I do not know enough about diesel engines to suggest how to keep a motor warm without idling at -20C, but, I suspect that warm air could be blown through the crank case, or the engine's cooling system could be redesigned (switchable thermostats) and in line heaters*, and, running the right type of diesel fuel. Diesels can be very difficult to start, and, the amount of wear cranking a very cold large engine per engine revolution can be huge (like 100 miles of wear equivalents per minute**)
It's called an engine block heater, or a tank heater, or an oil pan heater. Pretty much all commercial haul trucks come equipped with one and the APU can power an electric model of any of the three.

Did you honestly think that the issue of cold-weather starts in commercial trucking while avoiding idling hasn't been addressed?

amor de cosmos Apr 23, 2014 7:13 PM
• Video Link

amor de cosmos Apr 24, 2014 6:46 PM
Quote:
431 electric vehicles gather in Montréal to set Guinness World Record for largest EV parade
Michael Graham Richard
Transportation / Cars
April 23, 2014

http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...crop-scale.jpg

Sometimes electric car owners can feel a bit lonely on the road, but they certainly didn't in Montréal last week! The Association des Véhicules Électriques du Québec (AVEQ, which translates literally to Quebec's Electric Vehicle Association) and the Centre National du Transport Avancé (CNTA) put together an event that brought together 431 electric vehicles to set a new Guinness World Record for largest electric vehicle parade (well, 432 EVs if you count the electric boat that was there, towed by a plug-in hybrid truck -- but the boat didn't count in the official tally).

The current record is held by Zurich, in Switzerland, with 305 electric vehicles, but they counted electric scooters, which the Montréal event didn't (that would be too easy, wouldn't it?). Once the record is made official by the Guinness people, Montréal should hold the title.
http://www.treehugger.com/cars/431-e...ev-parade.html

• Video Link

Quote:
Funding will put F1 technology into buses and diggers
24 April 2014

GKN and JCB are among recipients of £133m of new investment into projects that will incorporate Formula 1 technology into buses and diggers to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Consortia led by GKN, JCB, Cummins and Ford received the funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), a joint £1bn government-industry fund established as part of the government’s industrial strategy.

APC will see government and industry invest £500m equally in the sector over the next decade to research, develop and commercialise technologies for the vehicles of the future.

The funding announcement was made by business secretary Vince Cable during a visit to Ford in Dunton, Essex.

For their part, Ford and partners will receive a £13.1m grant toward a £100m programme to upgrade the EcoBoost engine, whilst a consortium led by GKN Land Systems will receive a £7.5m grant as part of a £16m project to apply Formula 1 technology from Williams for use in buses.

Cummins and their partners will receive a £4.9m grant for a £9.9m project to deliver reductions in carbon emissions from bus engines through the development of new stop-start diesel engine technology; and JCB, with Flybrid, will £3.3m as part of a £7.3m project to apply Formula 1 technology for use in diggers. For the latter project, it is estimated that the carbon emissions of a single 20 tonne excavator will be reduced by 16 tonnes per year.

In a statement, Cable said: ‘The next generation of cars, buses and diggers will be powered by radically different technologies and I want them to be developed here in Britain.

‘Over the last few decades the British car industry has been transformed and today a new vehicle rolls off a UK production line every 20 seconds.

‘To capitalise on the success of our motor industry these projects will be the first of many to receive funding from the new £1bn Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) which we set up to turn technologies into products.’
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/automot...018456.article

M II A II R II K Apr 25, 2014 4:07 PM
A Radical Approach to Adding Density in New York's Outer Boroughs

Read More: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/des...boroughs/8919/

Project Website: http://www.amlgmlabs.com/

Quote:
The urban planning community is constantly touting the benefits of building dense communities around public transportation. But according to designers Chad Kellogg and Matt Bowles, few solutions have been ambitious enough to do the whole Transit-Oriented Development idea justice. So they came up with their own. --- Behold the Urban Alloy Towers, a proposal to take over spaces immediately surrounding transportation infrastructure like elevated train lines and highways.

- To develop their concept, the pair picked the intersection of the Long Island Railroad and MTA 7 Train in the New York City borough of Queens as their test site. According to the project description, this intervention is an opportunity to "draw the energy of Manhattan out into the four other boroughs without disrupting existing land use." --- The proposed structure would offer convenient access to Manhattan as well as amenities for work, play, and rest -- all within a pedestrian zone. Sound tubes, as employed in Rem Koolhaas’s IIT McCormick Tribune Campus Center, would negate noise from the trains.

- The project, which recently won honors in a few design competitions, is certainly far from implementation. Its potential, however, is very much grounded in reality. According to Jonathan Miller, a New York City real estate appraiser, building high-density housing near a Queens transit hub is logical and may appeal to early adopters among developers. --- ”Queens is Brooklyn 10 years ago,” says Miller. As people priced out of Manhattan and Brooklyn continue to funnel into Queens, developers have indeed begun hunting down cheaper land for dense residential development in the borough.

.....



http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img.../1/largest.jpg




http://i.imgur.com/iEf7f0U.jpg?1?1912




http://i.imgur.com/496yNeP.jpg?1?6655




http://i.imgur.com/YOiagM1.jpg?1?9839




http://i.imgur.com/TSeiVMK.jpg?1?7398

amor de cosmos Apr 25, 2014 9:33 PM
Quote:
Nissan unveils “world’s first” self-cleaning car
25 April 2014

Nissan has begun tests on innovative paint technology that repels mud, rain and dirt.

The specially engineered super-hydrophobic and oleophobic coating, which repels water and oils, has been applied to a prototype version of the new Nissan Note.

Developed by Florida-based chemical clean-up specialist UltraTech International the paint, which is called Ultra-Ever Dry, is already used in a number of industrial applications. Nissan, however, is the first carmaker to apply the technology on automotive bodywork.

The surface of the coating is comprised of nano-scale patterns of geometric shapes with high-points that help to create a low surface energy. This causes droplets of water to touch a very small percentage of the coating.
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/automot...018464.article

• Video Link

Wizened Variations Apr 26, 2014 5:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by wong21fr (Post 6549198)
It's called an engine block heater, or a tank heater, or an oil pan heater. Pretty much all commercial haul trucks come equipped with one and the APU can power an electric model of any of the three.

Did you honestly think that the issue of cold-weather starts in commercial trucking while avoiding idling hasn't been addressed?
The issue is not whether it has been addressed, the issue is the cost. For example: must a trucker have to park his truck during the cold at a place that charges for a plug in? Must all truckers have to use the more expensive winter grade diesel just in case their block heater does not work properly? (ever tried to reseat fuel injectors to remove bubbles?) Should trucks have small diesel or gas motors that enable the diesel to be turned off and be started without wear? How does this affect design? How quick should a fleet be replaced to reflect this technological changes?

This in an industry where the owner operator (granted is going extinct) and small trucking companies are running on paper thin margins?

The issue is not technological, but, dollars and cents.

amor de cosmos Apr 29, 2014 1:21 AM
Quote:
Plug-In Electric Vehicles on Roads in the United States Will Surpass 2.7 Million by 2023
April 28, 2014

Annual sales in North America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.7 percent, report concludes

The largest regional market for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) is North America, with estimated 2013 sales of slightly less than 100,000. Navigant Research expects that figure to grow rapidly over the next 10 years, as more models become available, the price premium for PEVs compared to conventional vehicles narrows, and charging infrastructure is deployed widely. Click to tweet: According to a new report from Navigant Research, the number of PEVs on roads in the United States will grow from nearly 296,000 in 2014 to more than 2.7 million in 2023.

“The U.S. market for plug-in electric vehicles is reaching a new level of maturity and expansion,” says Scott Shepard, research analyst with Navigant Research. “The introduction of PEV options in the truck, van, and sport utility vehicle segments – which make up half the North American automotive market – will help drive strong growth in the PEV market going forward.”

The major regional PEV markets, North America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific, will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.7 percent through 2023, according to the report. Outside of the United States, the largest urban markets will be Tokyo and Paris, with PEV sales in 2023 of nearly 49,000 and 25,000 vehicles, respectively.
http://www.navigantresearch.com/news...illion-by-2023


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