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Find Your Alternative Fuel Station

November 7, 2008 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hydrogen, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

If you’ve been considering an alternative-fuel vehicle for your next car but were wondering where on earth to fill up, look no further than the U.S. Department of Energy. That’s right — the DoE has put together a handy web site where you can search for refueling stations for just about any kind of fuel except regular, ol’ gasoline:

  • Biodiesel (B20 and above)
  • Compressed Natural Gas
  • Electric
  • Ethanol (E85)
  • Hydrogen
  • Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
  • Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Propane)

It should surprise no one that California leads the way in most types of alternative fuel stations. E85 is huge in the Midwest, which is another no-brainer, but biodiesel is big in Georgia and the Carolinas, which I did not know. Texas has hundreds of propane filling stations, as anyone who watches “King of the Hill” would probably guess.

There is a ton of information on the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center, and it will be a valuable resource as more alternative-fueled cars come to market in the next four years or so. Bookmark it now, folks, and tell all your friends who love green cars.

Penn State Police Patrol on EV Bikes

September 24, 2008 in EVs, Two Wheels by kristen | No comments

Photo by wjactv.comLast week, two Penn State patrolmen took their new rides for a spin: electric-powered Vectrix motorcycles. The central PA campus is the first in the nation to add EV motorcycles to its police force, and the first cop shop in the state to do so, as well.

The bikes will be used most often to patrol parking lots on game days, which attract over 100,000 fans to watch the Nittany Lions play. The pair of motorcycles are expected to last 8-10 hours per charge, or about 60 miles. According to Steven Shelow, director of University Police, the department has been eyeing motorcycles for about three years. When he saw the EV models at a law-enforcement convention over the summer, he decided they would work well on campus, as they are quiet enough to operate while classes are in session.

The Vectrix used on the PSU campus costs less than $9,000, comparable to a gasoline-powered motorcycle. Like most EVs, it plugs into either a 110- or 220-volt outlet to charge overnight. Top speed is around 60 mph, if the police should need it. The one hitch in the plan is the same hitch that affects all motorcycle cops: winter. Snow falls in big, cold, wet flakes pretty often in Pennsylvania, which means these two patrolmen will need to borrow a cruiser or pull on their warmest waterproof boots.

Photo from wjactv.com.