Canada’s two largest provinces are taking expensive steps toward alleviating pollution by automobiles. A result will be the creation of next generation high-paying jobs.
. . . and then, believe it or not, a report on an air-powered car! French automaker MDI has come up with a clever solution that’s affordable and produces zero emissions to boot. How did they do it? The car is powered by air! — 992 words.
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By Auto123.com
Wednesday, June 20, Canada's leading ethanol producer, GreenField Ethanol, officially opened its first ethanol manufacturing plant in the province of Quebec.
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Chuck Strahl, toured the Varennes-based plant (South shore of Montreal) with GreenField Ethanol's Chairman Kenneth Field as well as President and CEO Robert Gallant.
The complex is part of a network of five operating facilities that will produce more than 700 million litres of ethanol per year by 2008.
The GreenField's Varennes plant will produce 120 million litres of ethanol each year from 12 million bushels of corn grown in the province and supplied by Pro-Ethanol, a group of about 500 Quebec corn farmers who have personally invested in the plant. The 120 million litres of ethanol will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 180,000 tons per year.
Petro-Canada has already purchased all of the ethanol that will be produced at the Varennes plant for the next 10 years. The partnership with GreenField Ethanol will enable the company to provide consumers with gasoline that is blended with up to 10 percent ethanol.
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By Auto123.com
The Government of Ontario has announced a new $650-million fund that will secure the next generation of high-paying jobs for Ontarians by developing green technologies and businesses in the province. Premier Dalton McGuinty wants to support companies that invest in the development of non-polluting fuels and vehicles as well as clean products and technologies.
Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, says the fund will be modeled after the successful $500-million Ontario Automotive Strategy which has helped to leverage more than $7 billion in total new auto investments in the province during the past four years. Clearly, this is a tried and true approach, says Mr. McGuinty.
Companies that wish to benefit from this fund will have to make a total commitment towards the environment and the society. They must :
• guarantee high-paying jobs for local workers
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• help Ontario become a leader in this emerging sector \
• specialize in fields where the province has a solid base in terms of research and marketing
• and generate a synergy between researchers, business people, and entrepreneurs.
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By Canadian Auto Press
Short of hydrogen-powered, fuel cell or pure electric vehicles, there aren’t very many ways of obtaining zero emissions status. Admittedly, there’s still plenty of research left to do on fuel cell vehicles before they hit the road, not to mention the hydrogen refueling infrastructure that needs to be built, and while there’s been progress on electric cars such as the Tesla roadster, cost is always an issue. Now, French automaker MDI has come up with a clever solution that’s affordable and produces zero emissions to boot. How did they do it? The car is powered by air!
The CAT is powered by a thermodynamic motor that runs on air that’s been compressed to 4,350 psi. When the air enters the engine it expands and exerts force on pistons, thus creating the power. When the driver presses the accelerator pedal, a valve opens which sends air to the engine. The CAT has a 52-gallon compressed air tank that powers either a 15 or 22 horsepower motor, enabling the car to reach a top speed of between 90 to 110 km/h (68 mph), and travel up to 200 km (125 miles). What’s nice about air power is that in certain areas of Europe, the car is classified as a “neighborhood car”, meaning that it can be piloted without a full driver’s license.
There are a couple of different bodies and sizes available, depending on a given buyer’s needs, starting with one the size of the tiny smart fortwo. A panel van suitable for delivery use is also available, as is a taxi cab van capable of seating six, plus a small pickup truck. The bodies are made from lightweight fiberglass, which is easy and cheap to produce.
Once the initial 52-gallon fill has been emptied, the CAT can be recharged in two different ways. If there’s a nearby electrical outlet, the car can be hooked up to a local electrical grid, and with its onboard compressor will fill the tank in about four hours. This method costs about $2 or so in electricity per tank, which makes it the cheapest vehicle to fill we know of. The second way involves hooking the car up to a compressed air station, such as the type found at gas stations. If you can find the air for free (becoming a rarity), then there’s no cost to filling up. It also only takes two or three minutes, making it a more convenient solution.
MDI looks to be in talks with India's Tata Motors for a production deal, which will result in the creation of 6,000 of the air-powered cars for its own government. There are other countries that are interested in MDI’s cars as well, including Germany, South Africa and Israel. Sounds like a good idea for inner-city Canada too.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.
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