and the U.S. Marines. The need for regular
recharging, a former obstacle for deploy- ing electric buses for public transportation, has been cleared by Utah State University’s (USU) Aggie Bus. The groundbreaking, all- electric bus has a plate that draws off electric- ity across an air gap when it pauses over
Mass Transit Almost any form of public transporta- tion can run on alternative power— electricity or natural gas, propane, bio- diesel or hydrogen. “The big hurdle,” says Motavalli, “is having enough sta- tions to rival the 160,000 conveniently located gas stations we already have.” Biodiesel buses have been in use
for several years at locations like Colo- rado’s Aspen resorts and Harvard Uni- versity. Musicians Willie Nelson and Jack Johnson each rely on a biodiesel tour bus. Many school buses—includ- ing those in Charleston, West Virginia; Medford, New Jersey; and San Diego, California—have been converted to biodiesel, significantly reducing the toxic emissions and particulate matter children breathe in at bus stops. Some school systems in Michigan and New York use hybrid-electric buses. Vehicle fleets are also joining the greening trend. Kansas City, Missouri- based Smith Electric Vehicles already produces all-electric, zero-emission trucks for Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Staples
another plate installed at a bus stop. In mid-2013, WAVE, Inc., the university’s offshoot company behind the project, will launch a commercial on-campus demonstration in partnership with the Utah Transit Authority, via a 40-foot- long transit bus and 50 kilowatts of wireless power transfer. Such wireless technology could
also revolutionize electric-car recharg- ing. “EV owners and operators will now be able to simply drive over a pad in the ground to recharge their bat- teries, the benefits of which reach far beyond convenience,” says Robert T. Behunin, Ph.D., USU vice president of commercialization and regional devel- opment.
Regarding greening travel by train, Europe is leagues ahead of America; half its trains are now electric. A new regenerative braking system being developed by Deutsche Bahn and Tog- num could turn all trains into hybrids. Its innovative drive system converts the kinetic energy produced during braking into usable electrical energy,
reducing emissions and saving up to 25 percent in fuel consumption. The first such converted hybrid train testing the technology began carrying passen- gers in Germany in January 2013. The International Energy Agency’s
kilometer basis. The experiences of urban drivers and the pioneering poli- cies of local governments can help accelerate the transition to clean and sustainable mobility.”
2012 EV City Casebook reports that, “Electric vehicles represent one of the most promising technology pathways for cutting oil use and CO2
on a per-
Freelance writer Brita Belli is the edi- tor of E-The Environmental Magazine. Connect at
BritaBelli.com.
natural awakenings
April 2013
25
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