The upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) will feature a concept study created by Audi for urban consumers. Audi’s Urban Concept EV was developed without reference to past Audi models to eschew problems with vehicle size and weight. The two-seat Urban Concept EV is intended for European drivers living in cities facing increasing traffic congestion. Designers at Audi saw shrinking availability of parking and increased vehicle use as opportunities for automotive innovation. The resulting Urban Concept EV features lightweight materials, a small frame and an all-electric drive system that represent the future of the European auto market.

The Urban Concept EV team started by scrapping Audi’s vehicle templates and determining features desired by future drivers. Audi built this urban vehicle around a battery-electric drive system powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery. Battery pack range has not been released yet though Audi officials note that the range is sufficient for urban commutes. The battery pack feeds two e-tron electric motors attached to the rear wheels. These wheel hub motors have been road-tested in the A1 e-tron and other Audi prototypes.

Future models in the Audi family should replicate the lightweight construction of the Urban Concept EV. The primary goal for Audi designers was to eliminate all unnecessary weight from the body to extend range. The 21-inch wheels stand out not only because of LED running lights within the wheel wells but the vehicle’s low profile. Audi’s vision for the Urban Concept EV involves the use of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in body and cockpit construction. CFRPs represent an important development for Audi as this construction material would reduce vehicle weight while increasing strength-to-weight ratio. The Audi Urban Concept EV could be half the weight of comparable vehicles and still meet European and American vehicle safety standards.

Audi did not sacrifice passenger comfort or sleek interior design when developing the Urban Concept EV. The 1+1 seating provides maximum leg room within the diminutive cockpit. Drivers would be able to adjust their seating, steering wheels and pedals to their preferred positions without much difficulty. The Frankfurt prototype uses a sliding roof that moves toward the rear wheels to provide access to the cockpit. We will not be seeing the Audi Urban EV rolling off production lines anytime soon but the vision embodied in this concept puts the automaker on the right track.

Internet search giant Google has worked since 2007 to reduce the company’s impact on the environment. Google initiated carbon-neutral practices four years ago and developed a charging infrastructure for plug-in vehicles on the main campus. The company also started Google.org as a philanthropic wing that could turn Google into a steward for environmental causes. This organization worked with McKinsey & Company to publish “The Impact of Clean Energy Innovation,” a report citing the need for massive investments in green energy.

“The Impact of Clean Energy Innovation” used three models to estimate energy consumption and emissions through 2030. The Business as Usual (BAU) situation assumes that government incentives expire while energy costs are adjusted upward due to demand. The Clean Policy scenario assesses the impact of increased local, state and federal incentives for clean energy development. Google.org also ran the $30/ton Carbon Price situation where utilities adopted a carbon tax of $30 per metric ton. Analysts at McKinsey & Company developed these scenarios along with subsections dealing with incentives for solar, electric and other alternative fuel adoption.

Analysts with Google.org estimated that significant green energy investments could create jobs, reduce emissions and expand the economy by 2030. This report determined that more than 1.1 million new jobs would be created at utilities, manufacturers and other participants in the clean energy industry. Consumers would reduce their oil consumption by more than 1.1 billion gallons per year while cutting emissions by at least 13%. The American economy could grow by more than $244 billion per year in terms of gross domestic product using the Clean Policy scenario. A typical American household would save at least $995 per year in savings using Clean Policy figures.

A significant portion of “The Impact of Clean Energy Innovation” discusses the overwhelming challenges to creating a clean energy economy. In a section entitled “Speed Matters,” the report indicates that a five-year lag time for green energy and vehicle development could mean $3.2 trillion and 1.4 million jobs in lost potential by 2050. Google.org also recognizes the allure of coal power when contrasted with the current state of alternative fuel research. “The Impact of Clean Energy Innovation” highlights the short-term benefits of natural gas on emissions levels but warns that natural gas could be a crutch that discourages clean energy development. The major conclusion of this report is that governments and private industry need to double down on clean energy storage, infrastructure and generation if only to create sustainable economic growth.

The federal government has gone to great lengths to promote ethanol as an alternative to America’s dependence on gasoline. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued a report last week that cast doubt on the effectiveness of ethanol subsidies. “Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels 2009” notes that while 75% of alt-fuel vehicles available in 2009 could run on E85, only 71,213 gallons of E85 were consumed that year. This annual study was undertaken by the U.S. EIA based on information collected under the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

“Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels 2009” studied hybrid and alt-fuel vehicle availability in 2009 as well as consumption of alternative fuels. The report indicates that 1.076 million alt-fuel vehicles were made available in the United States in 2009, which was a 29% decrease compared to 2008. The U.S. EIA notes that 826,318 alt-fuel vehicles were used in corporate fleets in 2009, a 6.5% increase over the previous year. Fleet vehicles broke down into 61% E85 vehicles, 18% liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles, 14% compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and 7% other vehicles.

Researchers at the U.S. EIA found that alt-fuel vehicles consumed the equivalent of 431,107 gallons in 2009. The majority (52%) of alternative fuels used in 2009 was natural gas at 225,165 gallons while E85 consisted only about 17% of the total at 71,213 gallons. Owners of E85 vehicles can use gasoline and ethanol with U.S. EIA figures indicating a preference for the former rather than the latter. Fleet operators and individual drivers consumed electricity at less than 1% the total portion of alternative fuels used in the study period.

Congress offers $6 billion in tax credits per year to encourage corn growers to produce sufficient ethanol for future demand. These credits include a 45 cent per gallon credit to suppliers and fuel stations that blend ethanol with gasoline to create E85. This subsidy is due to expire at the end of 2011 without Congressional approval. Another method used to encourage E85 production and use is a 54 cent per gallon tariff on ethanol from foreign producers. “Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels 2009” reveals that E85 vehicle owners often opt for traditional fuel rather than ethanol despite lower E85 prices. These preferences are due in part to availability though drivers also perceive changes in performance between E85 and gasoline. The combination of higher food prices, questionable environmental benefits and improvements in other alternative fuels could further marginalize ethanol.

The EcoCAR Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will conclude this June with final presentations in Washington, D.C. This three-year competition challenged 16 university teams from the United States and Canada to develop fuel-efficient drive systems using General Motors vehicles. Officials at the DOE along with more than 25 sponsors have built off the federal government’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions dating back to 1988. As EcoCAR Challenge: The Next Challenge ends, the DOE and private corporations have announced EcoCAR2: Plugging into the Future. This announcement took place at the 2011 SAE World Congress in Detroit, Michigan.

Participants in EcoCAR2: Plugging into the Future include three Canadian universities from Ontario and British Columbia. The remaining participants include major research universities like Penn State, Colorado State and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Every team will spend the next three years incorporating alternative fuel technology into a prototype version of the 2013 Chevy Malibu. EcoCAR teams adhere to the GM Vehicle Development Process, which requires the perfect balance of performance, driving comfort, safety and handling.

The primary goal of EcoCAR2 participants is the reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels with alternative sources. The DOE and GM note that university teams will draw from sources including B20, hydrogen fuel cells and electricity to achieve these aims. The challenge’s first year includes design work and computer simulations prior to drive-system development in the second year. The final year of EcoCAR2 is spent converting schematics into production models prior to testing during the concluding event. Each phase of EcoCAR2 includes judging that results in more than $100,000 in prizes issued to the most successful teams.

Corporate sponsorship of EcoCAR2: Plugging into the Future is integral to leveraging the considerable intellectual capacity of participants. GM is considered a co-sponsor of the event and provides vehicles and testing facilities to university teams. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) works with team organizers to ensure that vehicle designs meet emissions standards. Manufacturers like A123 Systems provide hardware, technical expertise and training to ensure that early designs evolve into practical solutions. The U.S. DOE is working with Natural Resources Canada to share data from EcoCAR2 that could inform federal transportation policy. The immediate transition from EcoCAR to EcoCAR2 shows a continued interest in developing advanced automotive technologies in North America.

The recent Salao Internacional du Automovel (Brazil Motor Show) in Sao Paulo, Brazil highlighted the nation’s love affair with ethanol. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of ethanol and one of the top producers of the alternative fuel. This national commitment to ethanol derived from sugar cane has led to substantial investments from Exxon, BP and other energy companies. Brazilian consumers have responded by purchasing more than 10 million flex-fuel vehicles as of summer 2010. Kia is trying to take advantage of this valuable market with a flex-fuel version of its Soul multi-purpose vehicle.

This ethanol-powered vehicle was among the vehicles highlighted at the Brazil Motor Show. Kia plans to deliver thousands of Soul Flex units to Brazilian dealers by January 2011. The automaker was keen to point out that this car represents the first flex-fuel model from a Korean company. Drivers will be able to alternate between gasoline, ethanol and a mixture of the two fuels depending on fuel availability.

Kia noted that the Soul Flex would achieve fuel improvements of 44% compared to the standard Soul due to design changes. The 94kW gas engine and the fuel injection system have been improved slightly to eliminate inefficiencies that waste fuel. This flex-fuel model is also designed to move beyond the Brazilian market with subtle touches like the gas tank assistance system. The Soul Flex is capable of starting easily in cooler temperatures using stored energy from past use.

Brazilian consumers have embraced Kia models in significant numbers over the past year. Kia cites a 151% increase in new car sales in Brazil from September 2009 to September 2010. This figure includes sales exceeding 40,000 units in September 2010. The Soul Flex will fit well into Kia’s Brazilian strategy because statistics show that 85% of new car sales in Brazil this year have been flex-fuel models.

The Soul Flex hitting the streets of Sao Paulo in the next few months will be reconfigured for other international markets soon. Kia is testing the Soul Flex in a friendly market with a substantial infrastructure for ethanol refueling. The United States, India, Canada and other nations are trying to catch up to Brazil through government subsidies and private investment. These ethanol producers could become prime targets for the Kia Soul Flex over the next five years. We should continue to question the environmental impact of ethanol production but it is clear that emerging economies are embracing this alternative fuel source.

The EcoCar Challenge entered its next phase last week by announcing that Mississippi State University won the first place prize for Year Two. This three-year contest pits 17 universities against each other with hopes of developing automobiles with high fuel economies and low emissions. The Mississippi State EcoCar Team combined a 21 kWh A124 Systems battery, a 1.3-liter turbodiesel engine and a 75kW generator to produce a range-extended vehicle. Student designers indicated that the prototype could travel up to 60 miles on all-electric power and achieve 118 miles per gallon.

The second place prize in Year Two was awarded to Virginia Tech University and its extended-range ethanol vehicle. This entry uses a 2.4-liter ethanol engine, 21kWh battery pack and 90kW Ballard electric motor to reduce fuel consumption by 78% compared to a comparable model. EcoCar Challenge judges gave the third place prize to Penn State University and its extended-range biodiesel vehicle. Penn State students combined a 12.8kWh battery pack, a 1.3-liter biodiesel engine and an 110kW electric motor to produce an equivalent fuel economy of 57 miles per gallon.

The EcoCar Challenge is sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy with the hopes of finding the next generation of vehicles designs. In the first year, university teams submitted designs for greener vehicles that were judged by industry experts. In early 2010, these teams entered Year Two by attending workshops at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. All 17 teams used resources from the university and General Motors to put their initial designs into action. General Motors allowed EcoCar participants to test their vehicles at the company’s Desert Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona. These tests allowed judges to assess criteria including fuel efficiency, performance and safety against the promises of initial simulations.

We will need to see how the Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Penn State teams fair as we head into Year Three. These innovations in automobile design are not only important for this generation of vehicles but the next generation. Student designers are gaining access to parts, research tools and funding needed to put new ideas into motion. As the EcoCar Challenge recedes into the rearview mirror, participants will become auto designers and executives responsible for greener vehicles in the next 50 years. We must hope that these young experts stick to their guns as they enter the auto industry rather than sticking to the status quo.

The Union of Concerned Scientists and CALSTART published a report last week noting environmental and economic benefits in increasing fuel efficiency in trucks. The report entitled Delivering Jobs: The Economic Costs and Benefits of Improving Heavy Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy notes that 100 billion gallons of fuel would be saved by 2030 with higher fuel efficiency in heavy-duty trucks. Researchers also found the potential for 124,000 new jobs by 2030 if medium and heavy-duty trucks were made more fuel efficient. This document also projects potential fuel savings of $24 billion by 2030 based on a $3.50 per gallon gas price.

Medium and heavy-duty trucks may only be 4% of vehicles on U.S. roads but they consume 20% of gasoline and diesel used in road transportation. Delivery and trucking companies use more than 22 billion gallons of fuel per year, representing the largest amount used for road travel. The report indicates that an increase of 3.7 miles per gallon would lead to an 11 billion gallon per year decrease in fuel consumption by 2030. According to the report’s authors, it is possible to increase fuel efficiency by up to 100% within the next seven years. These fuel efficiency gains would come from improved cabin design, low resistance tires, better engines and regenerative braking.

The economic benefits of improved fuel economy in trucks may be more attractive to legislators, operators and consumers. Tractor-trailer owners could save up to $120,000 in fuel savings per vehicle by 2030 with greater fuel efficiency. Package delivery firms would save up to $26,000 per truck over 12 years by reducing fuel consumption using existing technology. The report notes that the biggest winners in terms of job growth would be Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan and other states where the auto industry already has infrastructure. CALSTART and the Union of Concerned Scientists project that the investment costs of improving heavy-duty truck efficiency could be as low as $13.4 billion by 2030.

This report coincides with the Obama Administration’s efforts to establish fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks. Delivering Jobs also dovetails with recent public outrage with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the report, four times more oil would be saved by 2030 using current technology than would be extracted through new offshore oil drilling in the same period. The projections made by CALSTART and the Union of Concerned Scientists may be brought to fruition through a combination of new technologies and public will to make the economy more environmentally sustainable.

Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment issued a report last week entitled “The Future of Mobility Roadmap.” The highlight of this report is that changing weight, length and designs of new vehicles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By creating lighter and more aerodynamic vehicles, drivers produce fewer emissions by not placing high strains on gas engines and hybrid systems. These changes in vehicle design would also reduce fuel consumption by allowing drive systems to run more efficiently.  “The Future of Mobility Roadmap” also points out the liabilities of clean fuel technologies currently under development.

The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment notes that plug-in electrics, biofuel and algae fuel vehicles are not the best solutions to emissions in the long term. Plug-in and all-electric vehicles may not produce emissions directly but coal-powered electric plants more than make up for their emissions savings. Biofuels like ethanol do not stand up to national and international rollouts due to the large amounts of land needed to grow crops for fuel. “The Future of Mobility Roadmap” also critiques algae fuels as too early in development to be useful given current production processes.

This recent report charges the British government with encouraging better vehicle designs using top-down solutions. In order to get lighter vehicles on the road, the report’s editors want the government to apply extra taxes to drivers of SUVs and heavy-duty passenger trucks. These taxes would be funneled to public transportation and urban mobility programs that produce far fewer emissions during commutes. “The Future of Mobility Roadmap” goes beyond the streets of British cities to address air travel and sea transportation. From airplanes to merchant vessels, the Oxford University report advocates for sleeker designs and smarter route planning to reduce overall emissions.

“The Future of Mobility Roadmap” goes a long way toward diminishing myths about clean transportation options. The report spends some time reviewing common myths that diesel engines produce greater emissions than gas engines and that biofuels are the silver bullet to global fuel needs. In fact, the overriding conclusion of this Oxford University study seems to be that automakers, politicians and consumers are wrong to think that there is another transportation silver bullet on the horizon. Public and private interests need to think about total mobility from bullet trains to all-electric buses, electric scooters and hybrid commuter cars in order to reduce emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. The sensible first step is to change the way we think about vehicle design and that will lead to a sea change in thoughts on day-to-day mobility.

(Photo by constantly_Jair on Flickr)

The Department of Energy is using $777 million from its annual budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to invest in alternative energy research through 2013. Secretary Steven Chu officially released the list of 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) that will receive research grants as part of this initiative. The DOE plans to supply funds in full to 16 EFRCs and spread out the remainder of the money to 31 EFRCs over the next five years. The first payment of $377 million has been delivered to the applicable EFRCs to begin research immediately.

The big winner in front-loaded EFRC funding was the Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation. The center received $21 million in front-loaded funds to study various plant cells in order to facilitate biofuel creation. The DOE provided $20 million at Purdue University’s Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels for similar research. The department seemed to focus on solar power in its EFRC funding with grants to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Excitonics ($19 million), Northwestern University’s Center for Integrated Training in Far-From-Equilibrium and Adaptive Materials ($19 million) and the University of Arizona’s Center for Interface Science ($15 million).

The largest five-year grants provided by the DOE went to the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Center for Emergent Superconductivity ($22.5 million) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis ($22.5 million). The Center for Emergent Superconductivity will use its five-year grant to improve heat tolerance and performance in superconductors. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will research the interaction, storage and consumption of chemical and electrical energy. Other EFRCs receiving five-year grants include Princeton University’s Center for Nanoscale Control of Geologic Carbon Dioxide ($20 million), the Oakridge National Laboratory’s Energy Frontier Center for Defect Physics in Structural Materials ($19 million) and the Idaho National Laboratory’s Center for Materials Science of Nuclear Fuel ($10 million).

The DOE’s financial commitment to the intricacies of alternative fuels is necessary to push the green vehicle market along. Casual observers may criticize the study of plant cell walls, energy interaction and superconductivity as wasteful spending. We cannot develop the next generation of cleaner and more cost-effective vehicles without putting in the requisite research. As the aforementioned EFRCs publish the results of their studies, these scientific principles will be used to create alternative-fuel vehicles built for long-term use.

New York-based Ener1 Inc. will work with Volvo to manufacture PHEV demonstration versions of the automaker’s V70 wagon. Ener1’s lithium-ion batteries will be placed within Volvo PHEV systems for a duo of demonstration vehicles about to hit European roads this summer. Swedish utility Vattenfall is helping Volvo finance the battery purchase as well as the costs of running these tests over the next three years. The long-term goal for Volvo, Vattenfall and Ener1 is to get PHEVs on the road by 2012.

The Volvo V70 PHEV features a rear-wheel electric motor and a front-wheel diesel engine capable of reducing overall fuel consumption significantly. The demonstration vehicles feature Ener1’s 11.3 kWh batteries with charging systems capable of standard and quick charges through household outlets. The Volvo-Ener1 drive system can recharge within five hours of plug-in, facilitating overnight charges for commuters and vehicle fleets. The Volvo projects that the V70 PHEV demonstrator can travel 31 miles per charge without using a single drop of diesel. Volvo plans to augment its traditional diesel system with ethanol and other biofuels once production begins in 2012.

Volvo, Vattenfall and Ener1 have proven their commitment to delivering fuel-efficient vehicles in the past three years. Volvo and Vattenfall commenced their relationship in 2007 by examining both PHEV technology and the infrastructure necessary to make plug-ins viable for commuters. Ener1 began production on the lithium-ion battery packs used in this demonstration in summer 2008 with finished packs leaving production lines this February. The Volvo/Vattenfall/Ener1 axis is a great model for the eventual implementation of PHEVs into the auto market. Automakers going solo on EV and PHEV projects do not realize that local and regional utilities are part of the equation.

Volvo’s demonstration vehicles will be tested in major European cities starting fall 2009. The company will work with Ener1 and Vattenfall to observe performance statistics such as charging time, vehicle range and maintenance issues. Volvo and Ener1 plan to assess the performance levels of each demonstration vehicle throughout the trial period to tweak components before the 2012 production date. Europe is the perfect laboratory for the Volvo/Ener1 demonstration because cities like Paris, London and Stockholm are developing EV infrastructures at the moment. The real test for Volvo comes after 2012 when the V70 is ready to spread to the United States and Canada where plug-in structures are woefully inadequate.