Electric Highway (Electric Trucks)

Powering trucks by electric battery isn't a practical solution at the moment. However, Siemens have developed the eHighway concept which allows trucks to be powered by electricity in a similar way to a train or trolley bus.

The first lane of the motorway has overhead power lines (catenary system) which the trucks connect to by a pantograph (the bit on a train which connects to the wire).

When the lorry isn't on a stretch of road with an electricity supply, or is over taking, it automatically switches to diesel-hybrid drive and lowers the pantograph. This means a lorry can be used just as flexibly and universally as conventional lorries.

Siemens is to conduct demonstrations in July 2015 on a two-mile stretch of motorway after installing a catenary system for electric and hybrid trucks in the vicinity of the largest US ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The objective is to completely eliminate local emissions such as nitrogen oxides and to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and cut the operating costs of trucks. The test results should be available in the summer of 2016

Advantages at a glance

• Easy to install: system can be seamlessly integrated in the existing road infrastructure.
• Environmentally friendly: no emission of CO2, nitrogen oxides, soot. Electricity can come from renewable sources.
• Efficient: vehicles can exchange energy via the catenary system
• Economical: electric motors are very durable and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

More Details

• https://vimeo.com/46672850
• http://www.mobility.siemens.com/mobility/global/en/interurban-mobility/road-solutions/electric-powered-hgv-traffic-ehighway/pages/electric-powered-hgv-traffic-ehighway.aspx
• http://studio-b12.de/referenzen/siemens-ehighway-3d-film/

Electric Car Charging Stations & Grid Storage

Conventional cars need to visit a petrol station to refuel which can often be a time consuming task. In some cases, filling up at a petrol station can add even more miles to a journey depending on its location.

One advantage with electric cars is that they can be plugged in to a normal power socket at home allowing the battery to be changed whenever it is convenient. The task of queuing and paying at a petrol station will be a thing of the past.

For some people, however, it will not be possible to change their cars from their own homes as it would result in power cables running across the pavement. To solve this, additional charging points could be installed outside private homes, workplaces and public locations.
Another advantage with cars being plugged in to charging points is that energy stored in the battery can be borrowed when we need extra electricity for powering our homes and offices. It is better to take this extra electricity from the cars’ batteries than generate it using dirty fossil fuels. These smart chargers would be aware both of the value of electricity, and of the car user’s requirements (for example, “my car must be fully charged by 7am on Monday morning”). The charger would sensibly satisfy the user’s requirements by guzzling electricity whenever renewable energy is available, and switching off when the renewables drops. These smart chargers would provide a useful service in balancing to the electricity grid, a service which could be rewarded financially.

If a car driver needed to make an unplanned long journey and didn’t have time to wait for the car’s batteries to fully charge, the car could be driven to a nearby charging station for a complete battery swap.  In the USA, Better Place have designed a battery switch station to achieve this.

At a Better Place switch station, the driver enters a lane and proceeds along a switch-lane conveyor. The automated switch platform below the vehicle will align under the battery, initiate the battery release process and lower the battery from the vehicle. It will then replace the depleted battery with a fully-charged battery. The depleted battery is placed in a storage room and recharged to be available to other drivers.  The process is completed in just a few minutes, while the driver remains in the car, providing a fast and convenient range-extension solution.

This solution would probably require a number of standards to be developed to swap batteries from different types of vehicles.

For more details on electric vehicles and charging see www.betterplace.com
For more details about how cars can be used as a storage system for intermittent renewables then see page 195 in Chapter 26 at www.withouthotair.com

Electric Car Charging Points

Elektromotive has developed a generic electric vehicle refuelling point called the  Elektrobay which has been designed to be a stylish and durable piece of street furniture. With its contemporary lines it blends in naturally to the surroundings, whether installed at the road side or multistorey car parks.

The elektromotive transport system is secure and extremely user friendly, offering a safe, dedicated power outlet.  The unit can be used by electric scooter, car or van.

To access the Elektrobay the commuter uses an electronic key that communicates wirelessly with the unit. When a valid key is read, the charging post automatically opens the weather proof access panel, where the recharging lead from their electric vehicle can be inserted. Upon closing the access panel, it locks securely and the power is turned on. The Elektrobay is a very safe design and as a security feature, once the access panel is closed and the unit charging, it can only be reopened by the same key or by one of the service engineers. When the access panel is reopened the power is automatically cut to allow safe removal of the charging lead.

The unit is fitted with an active display that shows the status of the charging post and is programmed to notify the user when their Elektrobay access is about to expire. It will also show the user’s name and registration number.
www.elektromotive.com

Greenpeace Eco City

If a picture speaks a thousand words, a multimedia-packed, animation-filled interactive town must speak a million. Which is why Greenpeace have launched EfficienCity - to exlain exactly what decentralised energy is and how it works in practice (which can otherwise be a wordy business).

If you still believe the government and think we need nuclear power and coal to stop climate change, come and pay a visit to EfficienCity, which shows how pioneering, real world communities around the UK are using decentralised energy. As a result, they're enjoying lower greenhouse gas emissions, a more secure energy supply, cheaper electricity and heating bills and a whole new attitude towards energy.



See:
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/efficiencity/index.html
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/efficiencity/about

Car Clubs

One of the problems with the country’s transport system is that non-car owners find some journeys difficult or impossible when just the options of walking, cycling and public transport are on offer. However, once a car has been purchased, it tends to be used for all journeys regardless of other transport choices on offer. This causes more congestion, adds to global warming and exacerbates air pollution in cities.



Car clubs offer a solution to all of these problems, and the good news is that there are lots of car clubs springing up all over the country right now - some are private sector schemes whilst a number are run by public sector bodies like councils. Sheffield launched a car club in September 2006.

The basic idea of the club is that you pay a one-off refundable deposit of around £100. As a member you are then entitled to hire out a car immediately or several months in advance by phone, internet or by visiting the car club office in person. The cars are located within a short walking distance from the population they serve so there’s no difficulty accessing the car.  Once in the car, your account is charged a small sum of money based on the time spent occupying the car and the mileage. Most clubs follow this formula but all differ subtly.

Gone are the days of paying for a car and the expenses of running it which can cost  a typical motorist over £3,000 a year (finance cost, depreciation, tax, MOT, petrol, servicing, repairs, and parking). Most car clubs can save around £1,000 - £1,500 if you travel less than 6,000 miles each year.

Environmental Benefits

Reduced congestion
Studies show that car club members drive fewer miles per year than before joining. This isn't surprising when you consider that the cost of each car journey is more obvious; it is easy to 'forget' the garage and insurance bills when using a private car, and to think of the cost of each journey in terms of the petrol alone. So car club members tend to walk more frequently and use public transport more than the average city dweller.

Less Cars on the Roads
Case studies also show that for each car club vehicle made available, at least five people will sell (or scrap) their existing cars.

Parking & Land Used
Car clubs can enable higher density residential and commercial development by reducing the number of on-site parking spaces, and maximising the available land for usable space. This can be achieved without compromising mobility, provided that a long-term commitment to the delivery of the car club can be secured.

Improves Public Transport
Car club members are more likely to use other forms of transport compared to those who own cars and do not use car clubs. This pattern of travel activity reduces traffic volumes, and increases the demand for, and viability of, alternative transport networks – to the benefit of all transport users.

See http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/ for more details