ReFUEL: WCC-SEA's November 2011 Newsletter

ReFUEL November 2011 | Wisconsin Clean Cities - Southeast Area | Monthly Newsletter

Considering Conversions:

Reduce Petroleum Usage, Reduce Emissions, AND Get the Vehicle You Want

Also In This Issue:

Member Spotlight: Odyne What’s the total cost of owning your vehicle?

Question of the Month: Where to learn about fleet experiences

“Driving Wisconsin Forward”

C onnec t W i t h Us O n T h e Web!

www.wicleancities.org

www.facebook.com/wisconsinCC

twitter.com/wccsea

www.youtube.com/wccsea

www.flickr.com/wicleancities

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ReFUEL is Wisconsin Clean Cities Southeast Area’s (WCC-SEA) monthly coalition newsletter.

WCC-SEA is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), organization, and is one of nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions across the U.S. WCC-SEA works to reduce emissions, encourage the use of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles, and develop the refueling infrastructure necessary to sustain the industry.

If you would like to contribute to ReFUEL, please contact Lorrie Lisek at lorrie.lisek@wicleancities.org or call 414-221-4958.

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C o nte nts Page 6

Member Spotlight

Page 8

Question of the Month

Page 9

Odyne

Where to learn about fleet experiences

What’s the Total Cost of Owning Your Vehicle?

Using the Vehicle Cost Calculator

Page 10

Considering Conversions:

Reduce Petroleum Usage, Reduce emissions,

AND Get the Vehicle You Want

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A r e you a me m be r y et ?

Sta rt mak i ng an i mpact today, join WCC - S EA !

It’s all a bo ut i m p r o v i n g q u a l i ty of life fo r t he pe o ple living in Wisc ons in.

WCC-SE A r e l i e s o n s u p p o r t f r o m o ur members. Dues and co rpo rat e member s hi p s e n a b l e W C C - S E A to ho ld meet ings, spo nso r educat io nal wor k sh op s, a nd p r o v i d e v i ta l o u t reach mat e rials.

Wh at ca n W C C-S E A d o f o r y o u ?

• Net w or k i ng o p p o r tu n iti e s w i th fleet s & indust ry part ners wit h experienc e in alt e r na t i v e f u e l s & a d va n c e d ve hicle s • Techni ca l t r a in i n g , w o r ks h o p s , and we binars • In forma t i o n re s o u r c e s o n a l te rnat ive fuels, advance d ve hicle s, idle reduc t i o n, a n d o th e r te c h n o l o gie s t hat re duce pe t ro le um use • In divi d ua l c o n s u l ta tio n a n d technical assist ance • F undi ng o p p o r tu n iti e s f r o m the U. S . Depart me nt o f Energy, st ate and local gov e r nm e n t a g e n c ie s , n onpro fit s, and fo undat io ns • Pu bli c r e c o g n i ti o n f o r p r o g r e ss in re ducing pet ro le um co nsumption • Assis t a nce w i th m e d ia o u tr e a ch

J oi n toda y !

Visit ww w.w i cl e a n c iti e s . o r g /j o i n. php, email info @wicle ancit ies. org, or call 4 1 4 -2 2 1 - 4958.

2 0 11 D i am o n d a nd Go l d M e m b e r s:

Me m be r Sp otl i g ht: Od y ne

O

dyne, formed in 2001, is a leader in the development and sale of hybrid drive systems for medium and heavy duty vehicles. Their sole purpose is to develop and produce plug-in hybrid electric propulsion systems for Class 5, 6, 7, and 8 vehicles. In January 2009, Odyne became an affiliate DUECO, Inc. and Utility Equipment Leasing Corporation (UELC), and relocated to Waukesha, Wisconsin. Odyne’s advanced plug-in hybrid systems are available for a wide variety of applications and are sold directly to final stage manufacturers and other companies that sell trucks directly to end use customers and fleets.

Odyne works with fleet managers for utilities, construction companies, and other niche industries. Their plug-in systems allow trucks to operate on the internal combustion engine and battery power. This unique system reduces carbon emissions, decreases fleet fuel costs and maintenance needs, and provides a sustainable energy solution.

Recently, Odyne has partnered with the Wisconsin State Energy Office and several municipalities through the Wisconsin Clean Transportation Program (WCTP), to provide them with advanced technology vehicles. Milwaukee County is acquiring four plug-in hybrid bucket trucks to be used by county electricians to replace and maintain street lights along highways.

Looking forward, Odyne hopes to expand their product line into new applications within the work truck industry. They will continue to work toward exceeding their customers’ expectations by being a leader in providing the highest value hybrid drive systems for medium and heavy duty vehicles.

Learn more about Odyne at http://www.odyne.com/index.php.

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Odyne plug-in hybrid systems are used in medium and heavy duty vehicles, such as bucket trucks.

Wisconsin Clean Cities - Southeast Area

6th Annual Stakeholder Meeting & Holiday Reception Thursday, December 15th, 2011 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm We Energies Public Service Building Auditorium 231 W. Michigan St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Sponsorship opportunities are available!

Contact Lorrie Lisek at info@wicleancities.org or call 414-221-4958.

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful But working with our partners is so delightful�

Sponsors:

Ques tion o f the Mo nt h Q

: Where can I learn about experiences other fleets have had with alternative fuel vehicles, advanced technology vehicles, and infrastructure?

A

: The Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) features a compilation of fleet experiences involving the use of alternative fuel vehicles, dealing with infrastructure issues, obtaining funding, and more. First, documents are organized by vehicle category, fuel/technology type, and fleet applications. Second, the page links to MotorWeek Clean Cities fleet story segments. Also, if your fleet has successfully implemented AFVs or have overcome technical or political obstacles to do so, you can submit your story to WCC-SEA to be featured on the the U.S. Department of Energy webpage.

For the “Fleet Experiences� webpage, visit http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fleets/fleet_experience.html.

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What ’ s t h e Tot a l C o s t o f Ow ni ng Yo ur Ve h i cl e ?

F ind o ut by u s i ng t he Ve h ic le Co st Calc ulato r

A

new tool from the U.S. Department of Energy, the vehicle cost calculator uses basic information about your driving habits to calculate total cost of ownership and emissions for makes and models of most vehicles, including alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. It is a high-level screening tool that compares the ownership costs and greenhouse gas emissions among alternative fuel vehicles, advanced technology vehicles, and conventional vehicles currently on the market.

A user selects vehicles to compare by model year, make, and model. For each vehicle selected, the calculator retrieves the city and highway fuel economy from the database licensed from the fueleconomy.gov website with data sourced from Edmunds. For most vehicles, a range of prices is possible depending on what options the buyer selects. For these vehicles, we present the possible low and high prices, and use the low price as the default value. The user may override the default price to better reflect the particular model of choice. For some models, a single price is available.

As each vehicle is selected, the fuel type and price is shown below the selected vehicles. The prices are based on a national average, as reported in the quarterly Alternative Fuel Price Report. The user may change the fuel price to reflect local prices.

To accurately calculate fuel costs for selected vehicles it is important to know how a user drives and how much of the vehicle’s total mileage is driven using each fuel type. This is especially important for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which operate using both gasoline and electricity from the grid. The default values provided in this section are derived from U.S. averages reported by the Summary of Travel Trends, 2001 National Household Transportation Survey. The user may tailor this information to his or her situation by modifying the supplied values Try out the Vehicle Cost Calculator by visiting: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/calc/ or visit www.wicleancities.org.

An example of a comparison of four sedan vehicles.

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Consi d erin g C o nve r s i o ns : Redu ce Pet ro l e um U sa g e, Re d uc e E missio ns, AN D Get th e Ve h ic le Yo u Want

T

hinking about purchasing a vehicle, but the model, fuel or technology option you would like is not available? You may want to consider an aftermarket conversion, meaning you can purchase the model you would like and alter the vehicle or engine to run on fuels like propane, natural gas, or electricity. In fact, some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will do the conversion for you during the assembly of the vehicle.

Aftermarket conversions are a good option to explore ways to reduce or eliminate petroleum use, while still getting the vehicle you want.

Vehicles can be converted in to alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) or an advanced technology vehicle (ATV), for example a hybrid electric vehicle can be modified to operate as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Vehicle conversions are available to all drivers, including fleets.

A Ford van converted to propane using the ROUSH CleanTech system.

Dedicated and Bi-Fuel OEM vehicles and engines can be converted to “dedicated” configurations, meaning they operate exclusively on an alternative fuel. They can also be converted to “bi-fuel” configurations that have two separate tanks—one for conventional fuel and another for an alternative fuel; EPA regulations refer to this configuration as dual-fuel. The desired fuel is usually accessed by flipping a switch to change tanks. Other systems use fuel blends. Flexible fuel vehicles, for example, can run on a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline (E85).

A bi-fuel system manufactured by Volvo using liquefied natural gas and gasoline.

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All about installation Conversion systems are installed by the system manufacturer or by a qualified system retrofitter (QSR), also referred to as an upfitter or installer. Vehicle owners and fleet managers interested in pursuing a conversion must work with the manufacturer or an authorized representative. The actual conversion work must be performed by a licensed technician associated with the manufacturer that holds the relevant emissions-related certifications and tampering exemptions. The QSR is accountable for the integrity of the conversion system components. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure the equipment meets the appropriate emissions standards.

What your QSR should know about conversions All vehicle and engine conversions must meet standards instituted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and state agencies like the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA has the authority to regulate vehicle emissions.

Vehicles and engines from OEMs must be certified to meet applicable emissions A dedicated electric advanced technology vehicle standards. Regulations are in place to conversion system. ensure those emissions do not increase as a result of changes made to a vehicle or engine, including in a conversion. The Clean Air Act prohibits anyone from knowingly removing or rendering inoperative any device or design element installed on a certified vehicle or engine.

These actions could be considered tampering, a violation that carries a significant fine.

EPA issued Mobile Source Enforcement Memorandum 1A (Memo 1A) in 1974 to help clarify what qualifies as tampering. Memo 1A was revised in the 1990s to institute more stringent emissions requirements for vehicle and engine conversions. These regulations specify that if a conversion system is certified with EPA or CARB, the manufacturer is exempt from the tampering prohibition for that particular system.

Vehicle conversions that require the addition of heavy battery systems or additional fuel tanks that may alter a vehicle’s center of gravity, payload capacity, or handling characteristics may need to be safety crash tested and certified to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and/or other NHTSA regulations. All manufacturers must prove that a given vehicle or engine conversion complies with EPA regulations. Required demonstration and notification procedures differ according to the age of the converted vehicle or engine.

A 2009 Toyota Prius converted to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/conversions. html November ReFUEL | 11