Come to QWESTNet and find out what new transport technologies and practices are available now and in the future to save you money, reduce your emissions and
put your business ahead of the game.

Hear about the future of freight and what that means to your business.

Discover what LNG, CNG, and BioFuels could do for your future transport fuel requirements.

Learn from case studies of other business experiences on how to save fuel through driver training and fleet car projects, and the creation of an Electric Vehicle Rental Car Project.

The Keynote speaker is Mark Gjerek, of RARE Consulting, a national consulting firm specialising in practical solutions to today’s contemporary transport and environmental challenges.

Who should attend?

Fleet operators
Logistics companies
Hire & rental companies
Freight and courier companies
Taxi owners/operators
Bus and coach companies,
and general business owners……
any business that uses transport, has commercial vehicles
or has staff that travel to their workplace

Register Now

Wednesday 15 September 2010

9:00am – 1:00pm (registration opens at 8:30am)

Brisbane Technology Park, Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane

$44 (incl. GST)

QWESTNet Future Transport Agenda

Register Here
Before: 2pm Friday 10 September 2010

qwestnet.info@derm.qld.gov.au
or phone (07) 3330 5433

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

G-Power claims world’s fastest sedan title with 372 km/h modified BMW M5

German tuning company G-Power is claiming to have set the record for the world’s fastest sedan with a BMW M5. G-Power’s M5 Hurricane RR achieved a top speed of 372 km/h (231 mph) beating its own record of 367.4 km/h (228 mph) set earlier this year. But it’s not just the two-ton vehicle’s top speed that’s impressive – it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.35 seconds, up to 200 km/h in 9.5 seconds and up to 300 km/h in 25.8 seconds. Read More

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

America’s first public-use quick-charge station for electric vehicles opens

Portland General Electric and NEC have joined forces to declare North America’s first public-use, quick-charge station for electric vehicles open for business. Heralded as a tipping point for the roll-out of electric vehicles in the U.S., the Takasago Rapid Charging Station is said to provide batteries with up to 80 per cent full strength in 20 to 30 minutes. Company officials and Governor Ted Kulongoski took the opportunity to power up a visiting Nissan LEAF before it left for a two-day tour of the area. Read More

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

CLICK HERE TO WATCH MOVIE

First 1,000 mph car unveiled in UK

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

New York-based Beautiful Earth Group has launched a solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which is powered entirely by a 235W photovoltaic system. The off-grid modular station is constructed of recycled shipping containers and can charge a range of plug-in electric vehicles including the BMW Mini E, which has a range of 100 miles and takes about 3 hours to charge.

What a great idea. Ther is more to come yet with innovation

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 5th May 2010

After much anticipation, finally a new solar parking lot opened its doors at the heart of Isla Vista yesterday. Located at 881 Embarcadero del Mar, the parking lot with 45 parking spaces has been built incorporating several eco-friendly features. The County of Santa Barbara got the property for $1.4 million in order to construct a solar powered parking lot worth $760,000. Nearly $200,000 were spent on the solar set-up alone.

Residing on a half-acre site that once housed a Chevron gas station, the parking lot has an array of 98 solar panels, which are mounted onto steel beams that are placed just above the parking stall. These panels generate enough power to light up the parking space along with the parking meters. Isla Vista is looking forward to increase the number from 98 to 109 very soon. With the additional solar panels, the community is hoping to see all the lights along Pardall Road to power up as well. The parking lot also has a water filtration system that will help keep storm runoff clean.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 5th May 2010

One of the most exciting developments for aviation is the use of sustainable biofuels to replace the standard kerosene, or Jet-A, fuel that is currently being used. It is clear that our industry’s dependence on fossil fuels is not sustainable, and we see that with innovation, future generations of biofuels for aviation can and will be developed in a sustainable manner. Rapidly developing research shows that next-generation biofuels can be a viable energy source for aviation, and the industry expects that further investigation will develop fuels that can be mass-produced at a low cost and high yield with minimal negative environmental impacts. Importantly, the aviation industry is committed to exploring the use of biofuels that in no way compete for land or water with food supplies, which has been an issue in other sectors.

The term ‘biofuels’ refers to a wide-range of fuels made from almost any form of recently living organic matter, as opposed to fossil fuels made of organic matter from millions of years ago. Biofuels can be categorised by type, such as bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas; and by source, such as sugarcane, maize, wheat, rapeseed, agricultural waste products and algae.

Aviation requires a high-performance fuel that operates in a broad range of conditions and does not compromise safety. Furthermore, next-generation biofuels must be a direct replacement for traditional kerosene fuel (Jet-A) so that manufacturers do not have to redesign the engines and so that airlines and airports do not have to develop new fuel delivery systems, which would delay the introduction of biofuels. Currently, the industry is focused on producing biofuels from sustainable sources that will enable the fuel to be ‘dropped in’ to Jet-A1 – in other words, blending biofuel with fossil fuel until enough biofuel can be produced to fully supply the industry.

Sustainability is the key word for biofuels. In fact, some biofuels have a worse environmental performance than the fossil fuels that they are meant to replace. This is why it is important to use the most advanced biofuel production technology and the best biofuel feedstocks. Many of the ‘first generation’ fuel sources, such as ethanol (produced mainly from corn or sugarcane), have been suggested to cause food shortages in developing nations, taking valuable land and wasting water supplies. Many ‘first generation’ biofuels simply will not work in aircraft, such as ethanol. While 13 trillion gallons of ethanol are being used to power automobiles every year, it would freeze at the high altitudes at which a plane flies, making it non-usable for aviation purposes. Any biofuel used in aircraft would also have to be able to operate at high temperatures, have a low freeze point and be cost-competitive with petroleum-based jet fuel.

It is important to use the most advanced biofuel production technology and the best biofuel feedstocks (images courtesy of Boeing)

The second-generation biofuels currently under advanced development for aviation – such as algae and jatropha – are fast growing, non-food crops that don’t take up land that would be used for food production. In fact, both of these potential feed stocks can be cultivated in some fairly inhospitable places, with much lower requirements for fresh water.

Relative to fossil fuels, sustainably produced biofuels result in a reduction in carbon emissions across their lifecycle. Carbon dioxide absorbed by plants during the growth of the biomass is roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon produced when the fuel is burned in a combustion engine – which is simply returning the CO2 to the atmosphere. Biofuels are anticipated to provide an 80% reduction in overall CO2 lifecycle emissions compared to fossil fuels.

Carbon lifecycle diagrams
Fossil fuels	Biofuels
At each stage in the distribution chain, carbon dioxide is emitted through energy use by extraction, transport, etc	Carbon dioxide will be reabsorbed as the next generation of biofuel feedstock is grow

Second-generation biofuels must have the ability to directly substitute traditional jet fuel for aviation (known as Jet A and Jet A-1) and have the same qualities and characteristics. This is important to ensure that manufacturers do not have to redesign engines or aircraft and that airlines and airports do not have to develop new fuel delivery systems.

At present, the industry is focused on producing biofuels from sustainable sources that will enable the fuel to be a “drop-in” replacement to traditional jet fuel. Drop-in fuels are combined with the petroleum-based fuel either as a blend or as a 100% replacement.

Some first-generation biofuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol, are not suitable fuels for powering commercial aircraft. Many of these fuels don’t meet the high performance or safety specifications for jet fuel.

Recent advances in fuel production technology have resulted in jet fuel produced from bio-derived sources that not only meets but exceeds many of the current specifications for jet fuel.

Now that biofuels for aviation are a confirmed viable option and the certification process is underway, one of the biggest challenges is cultivating the required quantity of feedstocks. The worldwide aviation industry consumes some 1.5 to 1.7 billion barrels of Jet A-1 annually (about 250 billion litres, or 70 billion gallons). Analysis suggests that a viable market for biofuels can be maintained when as little as 1% of world jet fuel supply is substituted by a biofuel

The aviation industry is committed to sustainable biofuels use in commercial flights to become a reality in three to five years and a significant supply of biofuel in the jet fuel mix should be a reality before 2020. It is now up to dedicated stakeholders across the aviation sector, with help from governments, biomass and fuel suppliers to ensure that the low-carbon, biofuelled future for flight becomes a reality.

There are many experiments and trials in progress. This section looks at those tests and reports on their outputs.

Carrier	Aircraft	Partners	Date	Biofuel	Blend
	B747-400	Boeing, GE Aviation	23 Feb 08	Coconut & Babassu	20% one engine
	B747-400	Boeing, Rolls-Royce	30 Dec 08	Jatropha	50% one engine
	B737-800	Boeing, GE Aviation, CFM, Honeywell	7 Jan 09	Algae with Jatropha	50% one engine
	B747-300	Boeing, Pratt&Whitney, Honeywell	30 Jan 09	Camelina, Jatropha and Algae blend	50% one engine
	A320-200	Airbus, IAE, Honeywell	By spring 2010	Sustainable feedstocks	TBA
	TBA	Rolls-Royce	TBA	TBA	TBA
	A320	CFM, SAFRAN, EADS, Honeywell, Airbus	Early 2010	Salicornia (Halophyte)	TBA
	TBA	TBA	October 2009	TBA	TBA

Air New Zealand flight on Jatropha, 30 December 2008

This test flight was performed in Auckland, New Zealand on a Boeing 747-400 with one engine running on a 50% mix of biofuel.

• Media release from ATAG: Biofuel flight a step towards carbon neutral growth
• Media release from Air New Zealand: Air New Zealand Test Flight Proves Viability of Biofuel
• Live blog of the test flight: Information before the flight and video about the biofuel being used
• Live blog of the test flight: Update #1: Information on the biofuel being used – Jatropha
• Live blog of the test flight: Update #2: Details from the pre-flight briefing
• Live blog of the test flight: Update #3: Flight takes-off in Auckland
• Live blog of the test flight: Update #4: De-brief on how the test of biofuels went, video of the flight and media articles

For more information on this biofuel test flight, check out the Air New Zealand flight web page.

Continental Airlines flight on Algae and Jatropha, 7 January 2009

This test flight performed better than expected, with the fuel having the same performance as normal jet fuel, but the pilots reporting that less of the fuel was used, meaning it is potentially more powerful than normal jet fuel.

• Media release from ATAG:
• Demonstrating the power of algae to fuel aviation
• Media release from Continental Airlines:
• Flight demonstrates use of sustainable biofuel as energy source for jet travel
• Live blog of the event: The flight takes off, we look at the fuel being used
• Live blog of the event: Update #1: The aircraft has been in the air for an hour, we look at the tests being performed
• Live blog of the event: Update #2: The aircraft lands and we take a look at the flight path
• Live blog of the event: Update #3: The results and media reports

Latest information: Japan Airlines flight on Camelina, Jatropha and Algae, 30 January 2009

This test flight went as well as expected, according to the pilots, with the biofuel mix in engine #3 behaving in exactly the same way as the pure jet fuel in the other three engines.

• Media release from ATAG: Working together key to aviation’s green future
• Media release from Japan Airlines: JAL flight brings aviation one step closer to biofuels
• Live blog updates and more information: Japan Airlines camelina-powered flight (as well as several updates)

Find out more about the efficiencies gained by improving operations »

With the current explosion of interest in sustainable aviation biofuels, the Geneva-based Air Transport Action Group has developed a Beginner’s Guide to Aviation Biofuels, looking at the opportunities and challenges as the industry moves towards this new source of fuel.

• Download The Beginner’s Guide to Aviation Biofuels
• Download the reference version of The Beginner’s Guide to Aviation Biofuels
• Download the key points card

The Beginner’s Guide to Aviation Biofuels was produced with the assistance of: Airbus, Airports Council International, Boeing, Bombardier, CFM International, Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, GE Aviation, Honeywell, International Air Transport Association, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 19th July 2009

India to Focus on Electric Vehicles

A number of lectures on the policies and current states of electric vehicle (EV) development in China and India were delivered at the 24th International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition (EVS24), which took place in Norway from May 13 to 16, 2009.

China is planning to allot half the total transportation energy consumption to EVs and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) that primarily use energy other than petroleum by 2020. In India, on the other hand, the diffusion of EVs has become an important issue due to its environmental problems and transportation conditions.

Gasoline cars, EVs to co-exist for some time in China

Automotive sales are growing extremely fast in China. They reached about 9.3 million units in 2008 and are likely to surpass 10 million units, the largest sales volume in the world, in 2010. The number of vehicles owned in China is currently 40 million and is forecast to reach 150 million in 2020.

C. C. Chan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific China, and Duan Ruichun, executive president of Chinese Electro-technical Society China, reported data on automotive development including EVs in China.

China is planning to reduce gasoline cars and hybrids, which are powered primarily by oil, and allot half the total energy consumption in the transportation segment to EVs and FCVs, which are powered by energies other than oil, Chan said.

As half of the existing cars will remain, China will (1) maintain the infrastructure for gasoline and other liquid fuels, (2) make its mileage regulation for gasoline cars etc, meet international standards and (3) give priority to high-efficiency direct-injection engine cars and hybrids until 2020.

Ruichun said China is conducting 863 projects concerning EV and FCV development to meet this goal. As a result of those projects, EVs and hybrids are currently running in 13 cities in China. And the Chinese government is planning to increase the number of those vehicles to more than 1,000 units within three years.

At first, EVs and FCVs will be diffused as means of public transportation. To accomplish this goal, the government will increase the subsidies for purchasers of electric buses, etc. For example, for the purchase of a hybrid, electric or fuel-cell bus with a total length of 10m or more, a subsidy of up to Rmb420,000 (about ¥5.88 million or US$61,600), 500,000 (¥7 million) or 600,000 (¥8.4 million) will be paid, respectively.

As for the purchase of a general EV, a subsidy of up to Rmb50,000 (¥700,000), 60,000 (840,000) and 250,000 (3.5 million) will be granted to the purchaser of a hybrid, EV and FCV, respectively.

Aided by those stimulative policies, China is already at a state where it can start producing core technologies for EVs and automotive platforms, Ruichun said.

“We have already achieved 2,000W/kg output density of a Li-ion secondary battery with a current capacity of 6 to 100Ah and mounted a 1,300W/kg output motor with more than 93% efficiency on a car,” he said, emphasizing the fact that EV development is making smooth progress in China.

EVs are suited for India

Meanwhile, Indian population will outnumber the world’s largest Chinese population, exceeding 1.4 billion in about 2030. The Indian automotive market has been growing at an annual rate of more than 15% as well. The market will maintain the same scale as in the preceding year even during the global recession of 2008 to 2009.

The diffusion of EVs seems to have become a pressing challenge in India.

“Considering environmental issues, we will face a serious trouble if we do not start spreading more EVs in priority to gasoline cars,” said Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and CTO of Reva Electric Company of India.

“In large cities, the degree of atmospheric pollution due to auto emission is by far worse than our safety standards,” said Shanta Chatterji, chairman and managing director of Chattelec Vehicles India Ltd of India. “And the number of deaths caused by diseases from air pollution has already outpaced that of deaths in traffic accidents.”

EVs are suited not only for environmental reasons but also for transportation conditions in India. Behind this is the fact that “long-distance driving is difficult in India because of heavy traffic congestion in urban areas,” Maini said. He revealed that 95% or more of automobiles in India are estimated to travel 80km or less per trip, with 80% traveling 25km or less.

“An EV equipped with a Li-ion secondary battery can travel about 120km per charge,” Maini said. “In other words, more than 95% of cars in India can be covered. Even when traveling 240km, the EV can travel the distance with a quick charge for about 1.5 hours. So, there will be no problem if more than 99% of cars in India are EVs.”

Moreover, there is little chance that traffic congestions will improve in India, where urban population is expected to increase about 50% in 20 years.

Nevertheless, the current hottest car in India is the low-priced gasoline car, “Nano,” which Tata Motors Ltd of India is planning to release. Reportedly, nearly 200,000 units of the Nano have already been ordered.

“The diffusion of the Nano is likely to worsen the current transportation conditions and environmental issues,” Maini said, commenting on the Nano.

The Nano can be used as the second car in urban areas or a convenient car for people in rural areas. In India, the number of cars purchased as the second car has reportedly surpassed that of first car purchases since 2005.

EVs recently started to penetrate India. The total sales of electric motorcycles and EVs were about 10,000 units in 2007 to 2008, but the sales are expected to sharply soar to about 110,000 units in 2008 to 2009. However, electric motorcycles are making up the majority of the sales.

Although there are more than 15 manufacturers of electric motorcycles in India, only few Indian manufacturers deal with EVs or hybrids. At this moment, Reva is the only EV manufacturer and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is the only hybrid manufacturer in India. Tata, on the other hand, is planning to market EVs in Europe as a starter.

The Indian government is currently devising policies with three pillars, “ecology,” “economy” and “social equity,” to diffuse EVs. Of these three pillars, EVs hold the key to both ecology and economy, Chatterji said.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 1st July 2009

Electric Vehicle

A Japanese group unveiled study models of the cars with modified exterior designs of Toyota Auto Body Co Ltd’s COMS one-seater electric vehicle (EV).

The new models were created by the ST Project, which was established by management consultant Shoji Shiraishi and automotive commentator Hirotaka Tachibana with an aim of promoting compact EVs. The company named the one-seater model as “ST1001″ and two-seater model as “ST1002.”

They are based on the platform of the COMS but were improved by lowering the vehicle height and expanding the tread. The upper part of the vehicles were almost completely redesigned, including the fenders, the roll cages and the seats. The instrument panel was not redesigned but was painted in the newly proposed models.

Originally, Shiraishi asked Tachibana to develop an open EV appropriate for use in holiday resorts. But the vehicles are now considered to be used for city driving as well.

Shiraishi and Tachibana plan to start selling the new models when more than 50 vehicles are ordered. They will remodel used COMS vehicles and sell them at a price of about ¥1 million (approx US$10,200).

The ST1001, the one seater, is a regular four-wheeled motorized vehicle and can be driven with a regular driver license, according to the Road Traffic Act of Japan. The maximum speed of the vehicle is 50km/h. The ST1002, the two-seater, cannot be driven on public roads and is intended for use on private land.

The base model, the COMS, employs aluminum alloy frames and in-wheel motors with lead secondary batteries between the frames. The ST1001, loaded with six 33Ah batteries, runs about 35km on a single charge. And the ST1002 is mounted with six 52Ah batteries and runs approximately 45km per charge.

The dimensions of the ST1001 are 1,935 (L) x 1,015 (W) x 1,400mm (H), and its wheelbase is 1,280mm. In respect to the ST1002, its dimensions are 2,365mm (L) x 1,015 (W) x 1,400mm (H), and its wheelbase is 1,710mm.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 1st July 2009