In the first quarter of 2016 almost as many trucks were sidelined as in all of 2015, due to demand reductions and stagnant freight rates, among other things.
Read more here at Transport Topics.
Federal Funding for Fire Prevention & Safety Training
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The Grant Programs Directorate administers the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant Program as part of the AFG Program. The purpose of the FP&S Program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards by assisting fire prevention programs and supporting firefighter health and safety research and development.
Available Funding for the NOFO: $34,000,000
Projected number of Awards: 100
Period of Performance: 12-36 months
Review details here.
New Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
LG&E and KU received approval to place 10 charging stations in each service territory.
The Kentucky Public Service Commission issued an order April 11, 2016 approving a plan intended to give drivers of electric vehicles access to more places to recharge vehicles’ batteries. The commission approved a proposal by Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E) and sister company Kentucky Utilities to establish company-operated, public electric vehicle charging stations and to permit non-residential customers to host charging stations.
KU and LG&E are authorized to install as many as 20 utility-operated charging stations. There is no limit on the number of stations that could be installed on customer properties. Read the full article from the Courier-Journal here.
Charging details, including costs and locations, can be found on the LG&E/KU website here.
2015 Green Fleets of the Bluegrass Award Winners
The 2015 Green Fleets of the Bluegrass winners were awarded at KCFC’s Spring Membership Meeting on Tuesday, March 17 at the Louisville Zoo. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
See all Green Fleets Award Winners here.
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- Chris Ward, TARC and President Alan Steiden Greenest Transit Fleet
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- Pete McDonald,, Fleet Management and President Alan Steiden Greenest State Government Fleet
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- Don Hayden, M&M Cartage and Alan Steiden Greenest Medium Freight Fleet
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- Al Starnes, Crittenden County Schools and President Alan Steiden Greenest Public School Fleet
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- John Marques, UPS and President Alan Steiden Greenest Large Freight Fleet
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- Chris Phillips, LFUCG and President Alan Steiden Greenest First Class Municipal Fleet
UPS Invests $100 Million In Compressed Natural Gas, CNG Vehicles And Related Infrastructure
Helping to Create and Support Nationwide Natural Gas Market
UPS (NYSE:UPS) announced plans to build an additional 12 compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and add 380 new CNG tractors to its growing alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet. The CNG fueling stations and vehicle purchases totaling $100 million are part of UPS’s ongoing commitment to diversify its fuel sources and reduce its environmental impact.
“At UPS, we own our fleet and our infrastructure. That allows us to invest for the long-term, rather than planning around near-term fluctuations in fuel pricing,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president global engineering and sustainability. “CNG is part of a broad investment in a variety of alternative fuel vehicles. Taken together, all of our alternative fuel vehicles represent 6% of the more than 100,000 UPS global fleet, and have driven a 10% annual reduction in use of conventional fuel.”
UPS is working to meet its goal of logging one billion miles with its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet by the end of 2017, using a Rolling Laboratory approach to determine the right alternative fuel solutions to meet the unique needs of route-specific driving environments.
Read more here.
Natural Gas Vehicle Legislation – KY HB536
Bill Title
AN ACT relating to natural gas as transportation fuel and making an appropriation therefor.
Summary
Create new sections of KRS Chapter 152 to create a fund and award rebates to commercial or governmental entities that purchase, lease, or convert vehicles in their fleet to burn natural gas fuels; specify that Energy and Environment Cabinet would oversee the program and report on its activities; create a new section of KRS 141 to provide a tax credit for a taxpayer that constructs fueling infrastructure for vehicles that burn natural gas fuels; amend KRS 141.0205 to conform; appropriate $2 million in the next two fiscal years for the fund and rebates.
Status
Not passed
Cummins Westport Near Zero Natural Gas Engine Certified – 90% NOx reduction
Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI) announces the new ISL G Near Zero (NZ) NOx natural gas engine is the first MidRange engine in North America to receive emission certifications from both U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Air Resources Board (ARB) in California that meet the 0.02 g/bhp-hr optional Near Zero NOx Emissions standards for medium-duty truck, urban bus, school bus and refuse applications.
Read full press release here.
Fiscal Year 2016 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is issuing, on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office, this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), entitled “Fiscal Year 2016 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement.”
This FOA supports a broad portfolio of advanced highway transportation technologies that reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emission, while meeting or exceeding vehicle performance and cost expectations. Projects will focus on reducing the cost and improving the performance of a mix of near-and-long-term vehicle technologies.
Activities will contribute to achieving the goals of the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, with a focus on accelerating the development of advanced batteries, power electronics, and lightweight materials technologies, while also supporting technology development to reduce petroleum consumption through advancements in combustion engines, alternative fuels, and other enabling technologies. The FOA also supports Clean Cities initiatives to overcome market barriers.
Join us for a Webinar on January 28, 2016
Title: DE-FOA-0001384 Fiscal Year 2016 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement Applicant Webinar
Date: January 28, 2016
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST
Please register for this webinar using the following link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3302892619932711426
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar
Louisville’s Tesla Superchargers Featured in Fuels Fix
Sullivan University’s new Tesla Superchargers are featured in the Winter 2016 edition of Fuels Fix.
Forty percent of vehicles will be natural gas powered
January 4, 2016
By 2025, 40 percent of you will be driving vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, according to projections,” said Detief Hallermann, Ph.D., associate clinical professor, Texas A&M University.
There has been a huge increase in natural gas finds in the U.S. with the volume of natural gas being discovered in conjunction with new petroleum drilling, the U.S. has gone from a net importer of compressed natural gas to being a big exporter.
As some point, the U.S. will be in a position to use much of that natural gas domestically, and that includes new manufacturing, heating and cooling and vehicles. Hallermann says the domestic natural gas industry is still under construction. There is a transition from oil use to natural gas use that will be progressing rapidly in the next few years, he contends.
Read full article here