Are you curious about what’s involved when residents want to charge a plug-in vehicle in a multi-unit dwelling community?

Join SDG&E for a seminar May 14 to learn about the stakeholders involved, the decision making processes, and possible issues (and solutions!) for installing vehicle charging units in multi-unit dwelling communities.

The session will:

• Provide an overview of vehicle and charging equipment coming to market
• Define and address concerns of property managers/owners, homeowners/renters, and electrical contractors regarding the installation of charging equipment
• Describe the steps needed to help you craft your community’ s site-specific policy
• Identify talking points for when someone in the community asks, “Where will I plug-in?”

Register today to save yourself a spot for this informative seminar.

Date: May 14, 2013
Time: 9:00AM – 10:30AM (refreshments served at 8:30AM) Location:
Energy Innovation Center
4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA  92117

Learn About Multi-Unit Dwelling Vehicle Charging is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Give your old, gasoline-using lawnmowers to the County and get a new and improved electric model for a greatly reduced price. According to EPA studies, a gas powered mower may pollute as much as 11 new cars in an hour.

On Saturday May 11, the County of San Diego is hosting its 14th Annual Lawnmower Trade-in Event. Starting at 8:00AM, San Diego County residents can get their old lawnmowers replaced by a new electric-powered Black & Decker mower.

To be qualified, your lawnmower must be in working condition, still contain all its parts, and have had all its oil and gas emptied out (for oil and gas recycling, visit Waste Free SD). Also, there is only one trade-in allowed per house hold and you must bring your photo ID along with proof of your San Diego County residency.

Gates will open as early as 4:30AM to line up for the event. Supplies are limited and lawnmowers are given on a first-come first-served basis so feel free to take a lawn chair and a book to wait in line.

More information (and a helpful map) can be found here.

Event Location: Qualcomm Stadium
9449 Friars Road, San Diego, CA

Time: 8:00AM (gates open at 4:30 AM)

Lawnmower Trade-in Event is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Transpower, headquartered in Poway, is building an electric yard tractor that will replace diesel tractors used by IKEA at its distribution center in Tejon, CA.  These yard tractors are used to move trailers around the distribution facility in support of asset management and dispatch operations.

TransPower’s electric tractor project is one of nine projects recently selected and funded by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD).  These nine top project proposals were selected from a field of 40 competitors seeking funding from the SJVUAPCD.

TransPower’s innovative use of onboard inverter charger units accelerate battery charging and make it possible to use electric yard tractors in a high unitization environment like IKEA’s distribution center.  There is very little down time for these yard tractors, so having a faster charging cycle keeps the tractors in operation more hours of the day making them a viable substitute for diesel.

For more information about TransPower and its clean transportation projects checkout their website.

TransPower Receives Grant from Valley Air District is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Please feel free to browse the presentations from our event last Tuesday, What’s Driving Biofuels? A Discussion with the Experts.

• Clean Cities and Event Overviews – Kevin Wood, San Diego Regional Clean Cities Coalition
• Biodiesel: The Good, the Bad and the Funny – Jennifer Case, New Leaf Biofuel
• Propel Fueling Change - Jorge Parra, Propel Fuels

Be sure to mark your calendars for our next event, Moving Goods and People in and through the Region, on June 11.

What’s Driving Biofuels Presentations is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Nearly fifty attendees who came out for our event yesterday, What’s Driving Biofuels? A Discussion with the Experts.

Jennifer Case of New Leaf Biofuels shared lots of great information about the future of biodiesel and how it is used by consumers today and Jorge Barra of Propel Fuels discussed the benefits of ethanol and how his Propel stations are changing the way we pump fuel. Afterwards, questions were open to the floor, and people further engaged the two experts about different uses of ethanol and biodiesel.

There were many representatives of fleets that used biofuels as well, including Old Town Trolley Tours, UC San Diego, SDG&E, and the US Postal Service (one of the ethanol-using postal vans was out on display as well!). They talked about their experience with biodiesel and shared helpful information for all the biodiesel-curious.

A networking lunch followed a biofuel Q&A session.

Pictures and powerpoints will come soon. Thanks to everyone who came out to learn and mingle!

Biofuels Event Recap is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Next Tuesday (4/16) is our April event, What’s Driving Biofuels? A Discussion with the Experts.

Attendees will learn all about the current state and future of biofuels. You’ll hear from fleet managers about their experiences using biofuel and have a chance to engage with biofuel providers.

The event is free and a networking lunch will be provided afterwards.

Event details are below. We hope to see you there!

Date: Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Location: California Center for Sustainable Energy

9325 Sky Park Court
Suite #100
San Diego, CA 92123-4368

Don’t forget to register online.

Reminder: Biofuels Event Next Tuesday! is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The EPA recently released its 2012 report on light duty automotive technology, CO₂ emissions, and fuel efficiency.  New to the report this year, due to the ever increasing selection of EVs, HEVs, and PHEVs, is Section VIII titled Alternative Fuel Vehicle Trends.  In addition to this section, the report covered several interesting topics related to emissions and fuel efficiency.

The first topic that caught my attention is the impact future CO₂ emission requirements will have on internal combustion engine vehicles.  The only vehicles today that can meet these requirements are HEVs, EVs, and PHEVs.  No diesel or gasoline engines are capable of meeting the 2025 CO₂ emission standards.  This provides a pretty clear indication on where the industry will be investing their resources.

The second topic of interest was the increase in the number of alternative fuel vehicles available to consumers.  The competitive landscape from this perspective has changed considerably from model year (MY) 2007 to MY 2012.  Hybrids continue to be the leader but several new technology alternatives are appearing in the line-up and starting to take hold.

The last topic of interest is related to the trend in fuel efficiency and thus CO₂ emissions.  These two are inextricably tied together for internal combustion engines, as CO₂ is a byproduct of combustion.  The good news is that auto manufacturers are trending in the right direction and continue to improve their fuel efficiency and their emissions.

Check out the full report for other interesting trends and facts related to the 2012 model year and future technology.

EPA Automotive Trends Report 2012 is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Are you curious about biofuels? Have you ever wondered what the future looks like for biodiesel and ethanol? If so, you do not want to miss this event!

April 16, 2013 will be our next Clean Cities Coalition event. We will be holding a panel discussion with key biofuel users and and providers in San Diego who will tell you all you need to know about how biofuels can help you reduce emissions and control fuel costs.

The program, and the networking lunch, are completely free for you to enjoy!

Please visit the event website for more information and to register.

Date: April 16, 2013
Time: 10:30AM to 12:00PM

Location:
California Center for Sustainable Energy
9325 Sky Park Court
Suite #100
San Diego, CA

Hope to see you all there!

What’s Driving Biofuels? A Discussion with the Experts is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

The demand for new battery technology for EVs and large scale power storage is driving investment and entrepreneurs into battery technology and development.  There are several new start-ups working on new battery chemistry, nanotechnology, and high density structures for EVs and the grid.  Several of these new startups are receiving grant funding from the DOE while others are strictly venture funded.

It is widely known that improving battery storage capacity, charge time, and discharge time are key drivers for the continued advancement and adoption of EVs. With the readily available funding and expanding scientific research, advancements in the technology are not far away.

However, these advancements can’t come soon enough for Chevy and Nissan. With both the Volt and Leaf failing to meet their expected sales volumes for 2012, they are dropping the prices and offering very attractive lease options for these vehicles.  Now is an excellent time to buy an EV or PHEV with leases under $200 for the Leaf.  Honda is also providing great incentives for the Civic CNG, which includes a $3,000 debit card to use for fueling your new Honda at any Clean Energy gas station.

Betting on Battery Breakthroughs is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition

Chris Reynolds, CEO of Green Shredders, was tired of being charged exorbitant amounts of money for shredding a single box of documents. Traditional shredding companies just did not support small-sized shredding projects. Thus, to help companies and individuals with small shredding jobs, he came up with Green Shredding.

Green Shredding is located in downtown San Diego and has a fleet of two CNG vans and two small electric vehicles. When Reynolds first created the business, he felt that it was important to make it as environmentally-friendly as possible. So when he saw CNG vans in government auctions, he jumped on the opportunity to create his green fleet. Even the diesel shredding truck in their downtown shredding facility will hopefully be converted into CNG by the year’s end.

The fleet drives around San Diego County to pick up items (of any size!) that need shredding or getting rid of: everything from paper and clothing to CDs and office supplies. Everything that is shredded in their downtown facility is then recycled and office supplies are donated to programs serving underprivileged school children.

When the company first began in 2005, internet marketing was the primary way for Reynolds to increase public awareness. Now, Green Shredding has over 2,000 unique customers a year, and 80% of their services are provided for return customers. There must be something they’re doing right.

To get in touch with them for your shredding needs, visit their website!

Green Shredding is a post from: San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition