Re: EVLN(Las Vegas zinc-air Ebus Demo, 110 mile range record) -- An Apology and Explanation

[Dave Goldstein <goldie.ev1@juno.com>]

   With apologies to the List, I inadvertently
returned this posting from Bruce Parmenter
to the List rather than forwarding it to my 
friend and fellow member of the NREL Ad 
Hoc Advanced Battery Working Group, 
Morris Altschuler, as I had intended.

   I had been up late the previous two nights
replacing a motherboard and reloading software 
when I decided to "test" my E-mail.  Obviously 
the PC was working far better than its human
operator! :)

    As the message implies, though, I do
consider this a noteworthy battery application.

   Whereas other Zinc-Air battery companies 
are trying to set records in golf carts and 
converted Honda Insights (and failing in
most instances,) Electric Fuel -- a former
client of ours -- is making significant progress 
in full-sized passenger buses.  

   As I recall, their Z-A battery pack puts 
out about *six times* the Specific Energy 
and approximately the same Specific Power 
as a flooded lead-acid battery pack in an 
S-10 pickup truck conversion (say 20 six 
volt T145's) -- and weighs just about *the 
same!* (~1425 lbs or ~650 kg.)  Pretty 
impressive for a bus!

  The batteries also feature removable
zinc anode cassettes that enable the 
entire pack to be mechanically recharged
in about 15 minutes. The spent or partially-
spent cassettes are then recycled in a 
regeneration plant and are returned to 
service.

  The major issue, as with most advanced
batteries, is *cost*.  Electric Fuel knows
that as the cost of petroleum rises, their
Z-A technology becomes increasingly
competitive with diesel powered fleets.

   Imagine what this technology could do
for the range of an S-10 E-pickup truck!
With six times the Specific Energy, you 
could presumably go almost six times 
the "normal" lead-acid range between 
"charges!"

   The technology, however, is not 
intended for hobbyists or privately-owned 
EVs because of the up-front infrastructure
costs for a regeneration facility (roughly
equivalent to setting up a natural gas
storage and pumping facility, which
can run into millions of dollars.)

   Still, it is nice to envision a day
when you might stop in your local
service station (formerly known as
a "gasoline or petrol station," :) ) and 
refuel your car, truck or SUV with 
renewable zinc cassettes for your 
next 350 mile range fill up!!

    Regards,

    Dave Goldstein
    President, EVA/DC and
    Program Development Associates
    Gaithersburg, MD 
 

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dave Goldstein <goldie.ev1@juno.com>
To: ev@listproc.sjsu.edu
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 22:50:46 -0500
Subject: Re: EVLN(Las Vegas zinc-air Ebus Demo, 110 mile range record)
Message-ID: <20011129.225052.-707379.3.goldie.ev1@juno.com>

Morris,

   My E-mail remains spotty and my two PCs are
still having their "ups and downs,"  but here is an
item that I just caught on our Israeli friends in
Las Vegas (and not at the casinos! ;-) )

   Regards,

   Dave

--

On Thu, 29 Nov 2001 00:26:22 -0800 (PST) Bruce EVangel Parmenter
<brucedp@yahoo.com> writes:
> EVLN(Las Vegas zinc-air Ebus Demo, 110 mile range record)
> [The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV 
> informational
>  purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
>  --- {EVangel}
> Electric Fuel's Electric Bus Takes First On-Road Drive in Las Vegas
> Public Demo of Company's Zinc-Air, Zero-Emission Bus Is Scheduled
> Today, Coinciding with Two-Day Symposium for Transit Operators and
> Industry Representatives
> 
> LAS VEGAS, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric Fuel Corporation 
> today announced the first on-road demonstration drive of the
> zero-emission electric bus based on the company's zinc-air fuel cell
> technology.  The demonstration, scheduled today in Las Vegas, is 
> part
> of a two-day event showcasing the vehicle to transit operators and
> industry representatives from around the country. Members of the
> public as well as select congressional, government and industry VIPs
> are invited to participate in the test drive.
> 
> The demonstration marks the public debut of the first full-sized
> electric bus offering an affordable alternative to diesel fuel.  The
> bus is designed to eliminate pollution as well as health problems
> associated with diesel fuel emissions.
> 
> "The zero-emissions bus we are demonstrating in Las Vegas promises 
> to
> provide a better quality of life for people in urban environments
> today and for their children and their children's children in years 
> to
> come," said Yehuda Harats, President and CEO of Electric Fuel
> Corporation.  "It offers cleaner and healthier air, eliminates the
> noise created by conventional city buses, and even promotes a sound
> energy policy by helping reduce our dependence on imported
> petroleum."
> 
> "Electric Fuel's electric bus takes an important step toward 
> reducing
> pollution as well as  promoting energy conservation by eliminating 
> the
> need to power city buses with diesel fuel," said Senator Harry Reid
> (D-Nevada). "Building a bus that offers an affordable alternative 
> fuel
> source and that is nearly ready for delivery is a major
> accomplishment, and I would like to see this kind of vehicle on the
> streets of our cities as quickly as possible."
> 
> With a capacity of 40 seated and 37 standing passengers, Electric
> Fuel's 40-foot bus utilizes a patented zinc-air fuel cell system 
> that
> stores and produces sufficient energy to operate for a full day, 
> even
> with air conditioning and a full passenger load.
> 
> Installed in a standard transit bus manufactured by Volvo subsidiary
> NovaBus Corporation, the system creates clean electricity by using
> oxygen from the air to react with Electric Fuel's proprietary
> refuelable zinc fuel.  It produces no emissions, can be refueled
> quickly, is nearly ready for commercial use, and is expected to be
> cost-competitive with diesel fuel when it goes into regular service.
> 
> In contrast, buses powered by conventional batteries are limited in
> size and driving range by the weight of the batteries, while buses
> under development using hydrogen fuel cells are considered to be
> expensive and are not expected to be commercially available for many
> years.
> 
> In August, the Electric Fuel bus was driven a record-breaking 110
> miles on a single refueling carrying the weight of a typical heavy
> passenger payload. More than 100 miles of the test on a taxiway of 
> the
> former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York, were driven for
> eight hours under the rigorous stop-and-go conditions of the Society
> of Automotive Engineers' Central Business District (CBD) test cycle,
> meeting all industry standards for an urban transit bus in all-day
> service.
> 
> Funding for the project is provided by the Federal Transit
> Administration as well as Electric Fuel Corporation, General 
> Electric
> Corporation-Corporate Research & Development, and the Regional
> Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, with additional 
> funding
> from the Israel-U.S. Bi-national Industrial Research and Development
> ("BIRD") Foundation.  The program originated in 1998 and, with
> continued funding, is expected to put 15 to 20 electric transit 
> buses
> on the street for a pilot project by 2003.
> 
> About Electric Fuel
> Electric Fuel Corporation (http://www.electric-fuel.com), with
> corporate and sales offices in New York and London, England, and
> manufacturing and R&D facilities in Israel and Alabama, is a world
> leader in primary and refuelable Zinc-Air fuel cell technology,
> pioneering advancements in consumer electronics, electric vehicles,
> and defense and safety products. Electric Fuel's INSTANT POWER(TM)
> batteries and chargers are also based on the Company's patented,
> cutting-edge Zinc-Air fuel cell technology, and are on sale at 
> retail
> outlets throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel.
> 
> The matters discussed in this news release include forward-looking
> statements [...] SOURCE  Electric Fuel Corporation CO:  Electric 
> Fuel
> Corporation ST:  Nevada IN:  CPR OIL ENV TRN SU: 11/27/2001 11:08 
> EST
>  ...
>  http://www.prnewswire.com/  nina_drucker@prnewswire.com
> (c)PR Newswire. All rights reserved.  Fax# 415-543-3555,
> Tel# 415-543-7800, 71 Stevenson, Suite 1120, SF, CA 94105 USA
>  ---
> 
> 
> 
> =====
> -
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