Acura ILX concept: would be an entry level model; a stylish sedan to be in showrooms later this year.

Acura NSX concept: Acura’s “halo car” sports coupe gets reintroduced with hybrid technology. The ILX and NSX are the first hybrids for Honda’s upscale Acura brand. Honda says it plans to build the NSX at a new plant they plan to build in Ohio. Hmmm, sounds like we should check back in 2-3 years and see if it happens at all.

Audi E-tron: sleek and powerful looking; wheels look like jet turbine blades

BMW Active Hybrid 3 & Active Hybrid 5 models: same look as their standard counterparts

BMW i3 concept: futuristic capsule, with windows that swoop well below the usual baseline of windows

BMW i8 concept: full frontal sports car
The BMW “i” vehicles will be built with a carbon fiber body instead of steel or aluminum, making them lighter, which extends their driving range.

Chevrolet Volt: sedan – and not just a concept
Fisker Karma: plug-in with rooftop solar panels that extend driving range
Ford electric Focus & Fusion: pretty much like other versions of the models

Lexus LF-LC concept: 2+2 hybrid sports coupe

Mercedes-Benz E300 BlueTec hybrid: looks much like non-hybrid diesel model; only for sale in Europe initially. We mentioned this in an earlier post.
Mercedes-Benz E400: gasoline-electric hybrid that looks no different than the non-hybrid version

Mitusbishi “i”: bean – or pod shaped? It’s your call; it’s much like their Japan market i-MiEV model

Nissan Leaf: just plain awkward looking

T.27 concept: a small car from Gordon Murray, designer of Formula One and the McLaren F1 supercar. This model has a pod-like shape that reminds one of a SmartCar & is intended to be low cost.

Tesla S: continues and updates Tesla’s traditional sports car coupe

Toyota NS4 concept: mid-size plug-in hybrid (Toyota says check back around 2015)

Volkswagen hybrid Jetta: much like the standard gasoline model
Volvo XC60 plug-in Hybrid concept: small SUV

Whew! Is that enough choices…? Most carry a significant premium over their conventionally powered counterparts, but — depending on fuel prices, the payback time period could be relatively short.

Amp is offering an electric conversion of the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee; yes, it looks just like the gasoline version & should, since it’s a conversion of same. Many of the auto makers are incorporating light weight materials into the body panels, and using a mix of recycled materials with virgin materials for the interior.

We wish automakers were offering more CNG models; the Honda Civic GX remains the only production CNG vehicle for the US market. If the NAT GAS Act were to become law, that could change.

The Detroit Auto Show is January 9-22, 2012.
Interested in more info about the show? click here to visit the show site Patience may be required; the website was overwhelmed earlier on the date of this post.

Testifying at today’s hearing, Richard Kolodziej, president of NGVAmerica told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee: “Faster growth in the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel would provide increased energy security, cleaner air, less greenhouse gas emissions, and more U.S. jobs.” Kolodziej urged the Senators to establish transportation policies that support natural gas as a transportation fuel.

Kolodziej testified before the Committee’s hearing on “Opportunities to Improve Energy Security and the Environment through Transportation Policy.” Click to read Kolodziej’s full statement

Unlike the health care debate, which split sharply along partisan lines, Senators on both sides of the aisle are working on climate legislation, and that inevitably includes the use of alternative fuels for transportation. One reason is the fact that our current dependence on imported petroleum is viewed as a national security issue as well as an environmental issue, and legislation to curb emissions is also expected to spur domestic job creation.

Senator John Kerry, (D) of Massachusetts recently stated, “Climate legislation is the single best opportunity we have to create jobs, reduce pollution and stop sending billions overseas for foreign oil from countries that would do us harm. If we sell those arguments we’ve got a winning issue on jobs, on security and on public health. This can happen.”

Stay tuned as we continue to track this issue during the 111th Congress!

NAT GAS ACT: Compare Senate and House Bills
Visit Thomas, the Library of Congress website…

Q. How did you get started in the business of CNG for transportation?

A. We already have CNG stations in Europe and we decided to investigate the United States market. We quickly realized that the U.S. needed to become less dependent on foreign oil and reduce pollution in the transportation sector.

Q. When & why did you get involved in the vehicle side of CNG?

A. We built our first CNG Fast fill fueling station in 2007 in Asheville, NC and discovered that lack of certified conversion systems for vehicles was a significant hindrance to expanding the use of CNG as a vehicle fuel. TransEco President Alex Kovalchuk said: “In Asheville, the projection is to have about seven CNG stations within the next 5 years,” he reports. But those stations would be useless without CNG-powered vehicles, he notes, “So that’s why we decided to do the whole package: conversions, inspections, fuel, and servicing.” This is when we started a new division for CNG vehicle conversions called Altech-Eco in Oct 2006.

Q. Can you tell us a little about the different focus of Altech-Eco, TransEco, & NC-CNG and/or or how the companies work together?

A. Altech-Eco is a SVM registered with the EPA and the main objective is to obtain EPA and CARB approved conversion systems for vehicular use. NC-CNG is the CNG station operations division. TransEco Energy is our corporate office that handles administrative duties.

Q. Tell us about the typical process of getting a vehicle converted.

A. It can take around 3-6 months to get a vehicle certified and is a very expensive investment. Once conversion system is certified the conversion process takes approximately 6-8 hours.

Q. What limitations should I expect in terms of the type of vehicle that could be converted?

A. “We have the technology to convert just about any vehicle on the road today, but legally we are only allowed to convert vehicles which conversion system have been approved by EPA or CARB,” says company Vice President Miles George.  “Vehicles can be converted to run exclusively on CNG or converted with the ability to switch back and forth between CNG and another type of fuel.”

Q. How does the current market situation help or hinder the expansion of CNG as a transportation fuel?

A. The timing is perfect for CNG to become more prominent as a transportation fuel. As demand increases the OEM vehicle manufacturer will start to offer CNG vehicles, but this will take some time. I think we need some help from the government to jumpstart the movement. If the NAT GAS ACT gets passed this should help. Please contact your House Members and ask them to cosponsor this legislation.

Q. Do you see a major difference in the global and domestic outlook for natural gas fueled transportation?

A. Outside the U.S. CNG has become very prominent. We are behind other countries as far as CNG infrastructure goes. Because of the this shortage of CNG stations in most areas we focus mostly on large commercial fleets and Government agencies that already have CNG stations.

Q. What legislation/policy changes does the company believe could be most beneficial to expansion of natural gas for transportation here in the U.S.?

A. NAT GAS ACT. Please contact your House Members and ask them to cosponsor this legislation.

gCNG blog note: the NAT GAS ACT legislation is HR 1835. Go to http://thomas.loc.gov and type HR1835 in the bill summary and status box to find out if your representative is a cosponsor of the bill. Phone or fax is the best way to reach your House Member due to security screening of mail; contact information for your Representative can be found at http://www.house.gov