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Australia's ARF To Build New Canola Biodiesel Plant
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported last month that Australian biofuel producer Australian Renewable Fuels (ARF)has revealed plans to build a new facility in Adelaide, South Australia, that will convert approximately 100,000 tons of canola into more than 44 million liters of biodiesel fuel each year. According to ABC, the plant will initially use low-grade tallow as a feedstock, but eventually transition to “oilseed crops,” including canola. ABC reported that ARF is looking to enter into five-year supply agreements with canola growers. ABC noted that ARF plans to build up to five additional biodiesel production plants nationwide.

Brazil To Build New Tallow-Based Biodiesel Plant
South Atlantic news agency MercoPress reported late last month that Brazil has unveiled plans to build a new $18-million facility in Sao Paulo that will convert bovine tallow into biodiesel fuel. MercoPress said the plant will be built by the Bertin Group, a Brazilian cattle company, and will produce approximately 100,000 tons of biodiesel per year, which represents nearly 14 percent of the supply required to meet the federal government’s goal of blending all conventional diesel fuel with two percent biodiesel beginning in 2006. According to MercoPress, the facility will be the first to use bovine tallow as a feedstock.

Chinese Study Finds Thousands of Pollution-Related Deaths a Year
Agency France-Press (AFP) recently reported that Wang Jin’nan, chief engineer with the Academy of Environmental Planning of China’s State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), revealed last week in Beijing that a new, unpublished study conducted by the academy indicates that approximately 300,000 individuals die each year in the country from outdoor pollution. According to AFP, Wang said the figures, which he deems “conservative,” have not been released in an effort to avoid any backlash against local governments. AFP said Wang noted that the study considers outdoor pollution to be that deriving from plants, factories, and the country’s growing number of new vehicles.

GM, SAIC To Develop, Produce ‘Green’ Vehicles in China
GM and SAIC Motor Corporation, Ltd., recently signed a memorandum of understanding in Shanghai to explore opportunities for the local application and production of “energy-efficient and environmentally clean vehicles” in China. According to GM, the two companies will explore the expansion of the current GM-Allison-SAIC hybrid demonstration bus program, announced last October, to a larger bus fleet for Shanghai’s mass transportation system in advance of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Additionally, GM noted that the partnership will pursue passenger car hybrid options as well as such other clean-energy vehicle applications as hydrogen fuel cell technologies for China’s relevant vehicle platforms. GM expects the introduction of locally manufactured vehicles to take place in 2008. GM said designers, engineers, and technicians with the GM/SAIC joint venture Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) will build complete demonstration vehicles, assessing various hybrid concepts for near-term production and developing local competency in regenerative braking, electric-power steering, and high-voltage battery systems. Contact: GM, Web site: www.gm.com.

Clean Diesel Bus Retrofit Program Begins in China
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that a diesel retrofit demonstration project commenced earlier this month in Beijing, China. The EPA is collaborating on the project with China’s State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and partners from private industry. According to the EPA, the project will retrofit thirty buses using at least two clean diesel technologies – one capable of reducing particulate emissions by up to thirty percent and the other, when used with low-sulfur fuel, capable of reducing particulates by more than ninety percent. The EPA noted that the agency agreed to provide technical expertise and more than $200,000 for the project in a memorandum of understanding signed with SEPA last year. The project will be managed by the Southwest Research Institute. Contact: John Millett, EPA, phone 202-564-4355, Web site: www.epa.gov.

New CRAES Engine Test Facility Begins Operations in China
BASF recently announced that a new independent engine test facility of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES) has commenced operations in Beijing. BASF noted that it provided financial and technical support for the facility, which will monitor fuel qualities in the country and research the development of future fuels and customized additives that meet the country’s “specific needs.” “To choose good gasoline and additives is very important for environmental protection,” said CRAES head Meng Wei. “This is also an important motive for us to promote technical advancement in this area and to cooperate with BASF.” Contact: BASF, Web site: www.corporate.basf.com.

Construction Begins on New Electric Bus Plant in China
The China Daily recently reported the commencement of the initial $30.9-million construction phase for a new electric transit bus production facility in the city of Yantai in Shandong, Eastern China, which is anticipated to be capable, upon completion, of producing 12,000 buses annually. According to the newspaper, China-Rising Motors Tech Zone Company, Ltd., Chairman Xie Rongan said the first bus produced at the facility is expected to be available by the end of 2006, with initial offerings slated for use in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Shanghai for the 2010 World Expo. The China Daily said Xie noted that the new electric buses will be capable of recharging in less-than-30-second intervals at each passenger stop.

Hong Kong Institutes Road Ban on Segway Electric Scooters
The Hong Kong Transport Department banned earlier this week the use of Segway, LLC’s two-wheeled, battery-powered Human Transporters (HTs) on all public and private roads. Specifically, the Transport Department prohibits the self-balancing, all-electric scooters from being operated on highways, thoroughfares, streets, lanes, alleys, courts, squares, parking lots, passages, paths, ways, and places to which the public has access. The Transport Department said the HTs cannot be registered because they fail to meet the requirements of the Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations. Contact: Hong Kong Transport Department, Web site: www.td.gov.uk.

Indian Automaker Bajaj Plans New Electric Vehicle for as Early as Next Year
The Hindu Business Line recently reported that Indian automaker Bajaj may begin selling its all-electric “EcoRick” three-wheeler as soon as next year. According to the Hindu Business Line, the EcoRick will cost approximately 35,000 rupees (about $800) more than a conventionally fueled three-wheeler. Hindu Business Line noted that the EcoRick is powered by a 12-volt battery with a charging time of about eight hours. The three-wheeler can travel as far as 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) on a single charge.

Rail Power Signs MOU with Mitsui for Japanese Market
Rail Power Technologies Corporation recently announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mitsui Bussan Transportation System Company, Ltd., to explore the market potential for Rail Power’s hybrid locomotive technology with Japan Freight Railway Company (JRF). According to Rail Power, Mitsui will not only conduct a study on the applicability of the technology for JRF, but also examine other potential users and applications in Japan. “Japan is not dissimilar to other areas of the world where low horsepower locomotives have become old and the industry is facing tightening restrictions on emissions,” said Rail Power President and CEO Jim Maier. Contact: Rail Power, Web site: www.railpower.com.

Jordanian Minister Outlines New Emissions-Reduction Plan
The Jordan Times recently reported that Jordanian Environment Minister Khakis Irani has revealed that all vehicles in the kingdom will be required to use unleaded gasoline by 2008. According to the newspaper, Irani said the government also plans to broaden its vehicle spot-testing program in an effort to move polluting vehicles off the road. Since the campaign began last July, the licenses of nearly three hundred drivers have been confiscated after their vehicles failed emissions tests. Additionally, the Jordan Times said Irani called for an increase in the use of hybrid electric vehicles to help further reduce pollution.

Hyundai Opens New Environmental Tech Center in Korea
Hyundai recently announced the completion of a $58-million research and development facility in Seoul, Korea, that will support the company’s efforts to develop and mass produce hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles, among other endeavors. According to Hyundai, the facility includes a hydrogen filling station, a fuel cell endurance tester, an emissions lab, dynamometers, and other specialized equipment for testing electric propulsion systems. “Through world-class environmental management practices, we look forward to playing a leading role in helping to solve global environmental issues,” said Hyundai official Sang-Kwon Kim. Contact: Hyundai, Web site: www.hyundai.com.

Malaysia to Consider Mandating Sale of Biodiesel
The Financial Times reported last month that Malaysia’s Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities plans to include language in a proposed biofuel bill that would require the sale of palm oil-based biodiesel fuel, beginning in 2007. The Times said the biodiesel fuel blend would comprise 95 percent conventional diesel and 5 percent palm oil. According to the Times, the goal of the biodiesel mandate is to reduce government spending on fuel subsidies and boost the country’s palm oil industry. Additionally, the Times said the sale of biodiesel is expected to reduce the country’s demand for traditional diesel fuel supplies by more than ten percent. The Times noted that Malaysia has plans to build three biodiesel production facilities that will convert approximately 500,000 tons of palm oil into 180,000 tons of biodiesel each year.

IOI, Biox To Build New Biodiesel Plant in Netherlands
Malaysia’s Business Times reported earlier this week that crude palm oil (CPO) producer IOI Corporation Bhd has joined with leading Dutch biofuel producer Biox BV to build a biodiesel production facility in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. According to the Business Times, the biodiesel plant will be located next to IOI’s refinery. The newspaper noted that IOI operates 12 oil extraction mills that produce 3.9 million tons of CPO annually. Additionally, the Business Times said IOI owns 78 palm oil estates with a land base of more than 155,000 hectares, which are located throughout Malaysia.

Fleetguard Opens New Manufacturing Facility in South Africa
Fleetguard Emission Solutions, part of the components segment of Cummins, Inc., recently announced it has opened an exhaust after-treatment manufacturing facility in South Africa to produce selective catalyst reduction (SCR) systems. According to Cummins, Fleetguard’s SCR systems are designed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 70 to 80 percent in heavy-duty truck and specialty vehicle applications. The new Fleetguard plant, into which the company invested more than $3 million, is expected to help heavy-duty trucks meet the Euro IV and Euro V emission standards that take effect next year. Cummins noted that, initially, all SCR systems made at the plant will be exported to serve the European market. Production at the plant is eventually expected to exceed 70,000 units a year. Contact: Mark Land, Cummins, phone 317-610-2456, Web site: www.cummins.com.

FOE U.K. Urges More Government, Industry Action on Green Cars
Friends of the Earth (FOE) U.K. urged British ministers late last week—as the U.K. hosted the Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Conference in Birmingham, England,—to cut road tax on fuel-efficient cars and do more to encourage manufacturers to produce and promote new green car models. The campaign group also called on the car industry to step up its efforts to promote green vehicles in line with its own voluntary target to reduce average carbon dioxide emissions from new cars sold in the European Union. “In hosting the conference, the government is recognizing the impact the motor industry can have in tackling climate change, but it must follow through,” said FOE U.K. senior transport campaigner Tony Bosworth. “The government needs to push for mandatory fuel efficiency targets for cars sold in the U.K. and cut road tax on fuel-efficient cars and putting it up on gas guzzlers to help people buy greener cars.” FOE U.K. noted that its recent survey of car advertisements in the U.K. revealed that more than half of all the advertisements featured in national newspapers during the first two weeks of the new “55” registration were for the most polluting vehicles on sale. Contact: FOE U.K., Web site: www.foe.co.uk.

Vietnam To Adopt Euro II Standards in 2007
Vietnam’s Thanh Nien News reported earlier this week that the government has unveiled plans to adopt Euro II standards for vehicle emissions. Thanh Nien said the Euro II standards will also apply to gasoline and diesel quality. In an interview with Thanh Nien, Cao Xuan Vinh, a senior official from Vietnam’s centralized vehicle registration agency Vietnam Register, said the Euro II regulations will take effect in July 2007. According to Thanh Nien, Vinh explained that the government adopted the Euro II rules instead of more stringent Euro III or Euro IV rules to give automakers and refiners time to prepare to meet the new standards. Additionally, Thanh Nien said Vinh noted that because most car engines are imported in Vietnam, the Euro II rules are not expected to have a serious impact on domestic automakers.

Articles released with permission from: EIN Publishing - Copyright © 2005 by EIN Publishing, Inc.
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