REV Announces LNG-Fueled Capacity Tractors

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REV Group, a manufacturer of specialty vehicle brands and a provider of parts and services, has announced the introduction of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled engines in its Capacity TJ9000 L9N terminal tractors, which will be used for California Energy Commission (CEC) research.

The Cummins L9N LNG engine, which powers the TJ terminal tractor, features a near-zero-emissions certification. Further, according to REV, LNG is competitive in matching the duty cycles of a diesel-powered tractor.

The stainless-steel tank used by Capacity Trucks (which is part of the REV Group) was designed by Chart Industries Inc. and provides an expected service life of 25 years. With a tank volume of 127 gallons, the LNG tractor is set to exceed the total energy of Capacity’s standard 50-gallon diesel tank.

 

DOE and U.S. Army Team up for Fuel Cell R&D

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Army to collaborate on the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for military and civilian use.

The agreement was signed by the director of the U.S. Department of Army’s Tank & Automotive Research Development and Engineering Command (TARDEC), Dr. Paul Rogers, and the director of the DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), Dr. Sunita Satyapal. The MOU will enable the partners to work more closely on technologies that can meet both organizations’ goals.

Army TARDEC is the United States Armed Forces’ research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. Research is under way at Army TARDEC to develop fuel cell-powered vehicles for tactical uses, among other activities.

National Lab Demos High-Power Wireless EV Charging

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Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have demonstrated a 120 kW wireless charging system for electric vehicles. According to the national lab, this system provides six times the power of previous ORNL technology and represents a big step toward charging times that rival the speed and convenience of a gas station fill-up.

The wireless system transfers 120 kW of power with 97% efficiency, which is comparable to conventional, wired, high-power fast chargers, says ORNL. In the laboratory demonstration, power was transferred across a six-inch air gap between two magnetic coils and charged a battery pack.

ORNL researchers previously created and demonstrated a 20 kW wireless charging system, which is being modified for applications such as commercial delivery trucks.

KCFC Executive Director Speaks at TIM Regional Conference

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Educating firefighters and first responders is a top priority for the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition. Executive Director, Emily Carpenter, spoke at the Regional Traffic Incident Management Conference held in Florence, KY. The conference included first responders from Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Carpenter’s speech educated all attendees on alternative fuel and advanced transportation technologies on the road today. She highlighted how to identify the vehicles, safety information, and provided information on where to get more resources. 

 

EPA Plans to Issue Higher-Ethanol Gasoline Proposal by February

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The Environmental Protection Agency aims to release its draft rule allowing year-round sales of higher ethanol gasoline blends by February, and end deliberations on the proposal by May, according to a filing with the Office of Management and Budget.

President Donald Trump last week announced his intention to lift the summertime ban on sales of so-called E15 gasoline, which was imposed by the EPA to reduce smog. The announcement marked a win for farmers eager to expand the market for corn-based ethanol, and was seen as a political victory for Trump ahead of congressional elections in November.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said last week he was confident the rule would be ready for the driving season next year, although industry experts said such a timeline was too ambitious.

Trump’s announcement capped a months-long effort by the White House to thread the needle between rival corn and oil industry interests, both of which are unhappy with the administration’s handling of the nation’s biofuels policy.

DERA Funding Announced

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The Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Charles Snavely today announced the 2018 Kentucky Clean Diesel Grant Program, which will provide $275,689 for projects to reduce diesel emissions from aging school buses in the Commonwealth.

Funding is being made available through the federal Diesel Emission Reduction Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This competitive program is open to all public school districts and private schools located in Kentucky.

“This program will help schools protect the health of our children by reducing diesel emissions and improving air quality,” Sec. Snavely said. “I encourage all of our school districts to apply for this funding.”

Kentucky public school districts and private schools that own and operate school buses are eligible to apply for funding through this grant program, which will reimburse up to 25 percent of the cost to replace a school bus. Grant recipients are responsible for the remaining 75 percent.

Kentucky school buses travel about 100 million miles each year, providing transportation for more than 350,000 children. Diesel exhaust can negatively affect children, who have a faster breathing rate than adults and whose lungs are not yet fully developed.

New buses emit up to 60 times fewer pollutants than those built before 1995, but budget restrictions often push bus replacement to the back burner.
“This program will provide additional resources that make it easier for school districts to replace older, more polluting buses with newer, cleaner ones,” said Department for Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Sean Alteri.

Proposals that achieve the most cost-effective emission reductions, and those that demonstrate the greatest emission reductions will be given priority in grant awards, as will applicants located in current or former non-attainment areas for ozone or particulate matter.

The purchase of new vehicles to expand the fleet is not covered by this program. Vehicles being replaced must be scrapped and rendered inoperable. Evidence of appropriate disposal, such as a photograph of the scrapped vehicle including serial number and VIN, will be required in order to receive grant funds.

The deadline to apply for funds is November 8, 2018. To apply, visit the Division for Air Quality’s web-site at http://air.ky.gov/Pages/CleanDiesel.aspx.

Alternative Fuel Corridors 2018 Nomination Request Released

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The Federal Highway Administration has released the 2018 call for nominations for the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act Designation of Alternative Fuel Corridors.

Current corridor designations and information about the program can be found on our cornerstone project page with the link below.

Information for the call for nominations can be found on the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration website.

Virgin Atlantic Celebrates Milestone Flight With Sustainable Fuel

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Virgin Atlantic is celebrating the completion of a milestone Florida-London flight that used LanzaTech’s carbon-recycling technology.

EPIC Fuels provided expertise in fuel blending, as well as technical and logistical support, to Virgin Atlantic and LanzaTech to enable the first-ever commercial flight using a blend of petroleum-based jet fuel and alcohol-to-jet synthetic paraffinic kerosene (ATJ-SPK) fuel produced from waste gases, says EPIC.

LanzaTech’s technology captures carbon-rich industrial waste gases, such as those from steel mills, and recycles them into ethanol. The ethanol, in turn, can be used for a variety of low-carbon products, including being upgraded to ATJ-SPK, which can be blended into jet fuel, explains EPIC.

After blending traditional jet fuel with LanzaTech ATJ-SPK, the fuel mix was rigorously tested at a commercial jet fuel-testing laboratory. EPIC also worked with Menzies Aviation at Orlando International Airport (MCO) to ensure all requirements were met for both ASTM testing and airport operations for this fuel.

The results met the required specifications for ASTM 1655 jet fuel and were cleared for use on the historic flight onboard one of Virgin’s Boeing 747 aircraft. The first flight using this fuel was VA flight 16 from MCO to London Gatwick (LGW) on Oct. 2.

Oct 11 Webinar: Delivering on the Promise for Zero-Emission Goods Movement

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Fuel cell electric vehicles continue to see increased attention year over year as a promising solution to replace internal combustion engines in goods movement and other energy intensive applications. Hydrogen station development, new vehicle launches, and fleet deployments continue to increase at a steady pace, with significant growth expected in the near term as policymakers around the world continue to announce their intent to introduce mandates for zero-tailpipe emissions.

Plug Power is sponsoring a free webinar on Thursday, October 11 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET to:

  • Learn how fuel cell technologies can enable commercial fleets to meet sustainability and regulatory compliance objectives
  • Understand how fuel cell engines work, including the impact on vehicle and operator performance (fuel economy, range, emissions, up time, driver experience)
  • Gain insight from a global delivery fleet that has been successfully testing fuel cell-powered electric delivery vans
  • Learn why October 8 is “National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day”

Webinar presenters include:
Larry Pitts - Plug Power
Larry Pitts
Director of Mechanical Design
Plug Power
(NGVAmerica)
Phillip Galbach - FedEx
Phillip Galbach
Project Engineering Specialist, Global Vehicles
FedEx
(NGVAmerica)
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Blue Bird Delivers its First Electric School Buses

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Blue Bird’s first electric-powered school buses are on their way to customers in Ontario and California.

All of the customers who obtained the buses were able to do so through the help of financial grants, which helped pay for all or part of the cost of the buses, as well as some infrastructure costs.

Jack Matrosov of Wheelchair Accessible Transit, based in Toronto, was able to add one Micro Bird G5 electric school bus to his fleet through the use of the Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program (EHVIP), offered by Ontario’s government.

Blue Bird is also delivering seven Type D All American rear-engine electric school buses in California. The larger, 72-passenger buses have a similar design to that of many Blue Bird Type D compressed natural gas (CNG) buses that districts operate in the state today.