U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) already loan $1.6 million for Nissan to modify its Smyrna, Tennessee plant to build battery electric vehicles as well as the batteries to power them. The loan came from DOE’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVMLP), a $25 billion program authorized by Congress in 2007. Nissan has to be able to produce about 150,000 electric vehicles a year and 200,000 battery packs. Those vehicles will be ready at 2012!

Not just that, that same DOE ATVMLP loan had approved 8 other companies to do the conversion of USA vehicles into electric drive transportations. Those companies mentioned above are Tesla Motors, Maryland Science Center, Altcar, Maya Electric, Electrovaya, Exxon Mobil, IBM’s Big Green Innovations and IBM Almaden Institute.

Congratulation and Happy Green Driving!

A new research lab, called the GM/U-M Advanced Battery Coaltion for Drivetrains (or ABCD), will be headquartered at U-M. The ABCD was established with a  five-year, $5 million award. Engineers at the lab will be be working to resolve issues related to battery life and performance.

“Advanced battery technologies have quickly become a competitive advantage in the auto industry,” says Bob Kruse, executive director global vehicle engineering hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries, and GM’s co-director of the ABCD. “GM’s relationship with U-M gives us a tremendous opportunity to improve our understanding of advanced battery technologies. We aim to speed insertion of new technology, accelerate product design, and contribute to the cohort of automotive engineers and battery researchers who will shape our industry.”

Is your company taking green steps? Let 1000GreenSteps.org help you spread the word. Please leave a comment below, or contact us at: 1000GreenSteps@gmail.com Thank you!

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has added approximately 5,000 hybrid vehicles to its U.S. fleet as their green steps program.

These cars, which include several makes and models of the Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima, Ford Escape, and Toyota Camry, can schieve greater fuel economy, use less gasoline, and have lower emissions than traditional vehicles.

The new hybrids will be be available at nearly 80 locations in 24 major markets across the U.S. Enterprise is calling these locations “hybrid branches” to underscore their high concentration of new hybrid cars. Also, for the first time, customers will be able to reserve these hybrids online or by phone.

The Enterprise family of companies is owned by the Taylor Family and includes the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. According to a press release, Enterprise has the industry’s most comprehensive environmental sustainability platform. Here are a fe highlights of that platform:

• Embracing new, clean technologies. In addition to the focus on hybrids, Enterprise has designated eight “E85/FlexFuel” branches where as much as 30 percent of the local fleets are FlexFuel vehicles capable of using E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline). Enterprise fuels those vehicles from a nearby E85 fueling station.

• The world’s largest fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles. Nearly 450,000 cars in the combined Enterprise, National and Alamo fleet average a highway fuel efficiency rating of at least 28 mpg or better; nearly 230,000 average 32 mpg or better; and nearly 425,000 have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay certification mark – a distinction the EPA grants to vehicles that emit relatively low levels of both regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases such as CO2.

• Customer Carbon Offsets. Enterprise, National and Alamo customers can offset the CO2 emissions of their rental cars by opting to pay $1.25 per rental to fund certified offset projects through TerraPass. The company’s charitable foundation will match customer contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million.

• Research. In 2007, the Taylor family donated $25 million to create the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, where top scientists are working on alternatives to finite fossil fuels by finding new ways to create fuel from renewable, reliable plant sources.

• Conservation. The company’s charitable foundation has pledged $50 million to plant 50 million trees over 50 years through the 50 Million Tree Pledge, a public/private/nonprofit partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. Trees are being planted on public lands in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

All told, over the past several years the Taylor family and their companies have contributed or pledged more than $120 million to environmental initiatives.  For more information about the full environmental platform, visit www.keystogreen.com. Enjoy green steps program!

Electric-assist bikes have two types: pedelecs, which you have to pedal to activate the electric assist, and e-bike, which does not require pedaling.

How powerful the motor is determines how much pedaling you have to do. The more powerful, the less pedaling.

There are many makes and models with very different quality when it comes to e-bikes.

When shopping for an electric-assist bike, go for quality, that is, performance, reliability and workmanship. Choose a manufacturer who is standing behind its products and has good track record . It may cost more initially, but will be worth it.

You can also convert your regular bike into an electric one by using a “do-it-yourself” kit. Make sure you get a high quality kit too, which will last you for a long time.

Happy E-biking. Also see Green Riding (2) — E-scooters.

For more information, click here.

Toyota Smile Life, Inc. is developing the parcel, known as “Green Avenue Azabu no Oka,” and already has 21 out of a planned total of 204 houses complete, according to an article yesterday in Tech-On.

Each house will have four or five LED exterior lamps to illuminate walkways and exterior walls. In addition, LED street lamps will be installed at intersections of main roads within the development. The developer estimates that about 1,000 LED lights will be used, in all.

LED lights consume about one-fourth the power of conventional light sources. That means power consumption for outdoor lighting in this neighborhood will be reduced about 75%.

Toyota Smile Life, Inc. also plans for each house lot to include a 100V outlet, intended for plug-in hybrid cars. Looks like Toyota is planning ahead for new automotive technology!

Is your company taking green steps? Let 1000GreenSteps.org help you spread the word. Please leave a comment below, or contact us at: 1000GreenSteps@gmail.com Thank you!

When buying an e-scooter, a couple of rules should apply.

First, buy from a reputable manufacturer. You get what you pay for.

Second, buy the most watts and amps as you can afford.

The scooter motors are rated in watts. The higher the wattage, the better. The powerful scooters will have sufficient power to ride both on level ground and hills.

Amp-hours is the measurement of the capacity of a battery to store energy. the more amp-hours, the better.

Make sure that you buy a high quality battery charger. Low quality charger will heat up the battery, which shortens the battery life.

Recharge your battery frequently. Shallower discharges and frequent slow charging will prolong the life of the battery.

Also see Green Riding (1) — E-bikes.

For more information, click here.