We’ve read the reports, done our own analysis, and CALSTART employees will continue to drive and use our Chevy Volt. Unfortunately, it appears many in the general public are glancing at the headlines, but not understanding the facts behind the story.

We were pleased to hear that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation has concluded. "NHTSA continues to believe that electric vehicles show great promise as a safe and fuel-efficient option for American drivers," the agency stated in a press release. Read the NHSTA press release.

To date, CALSTART employees have enjoyed driving over 11,000 miles in our Volt. Nearly half of those miles have been under all electric, zero emission power. Based on this safe driving experience, we fully understand and appreciate why the Volt was selected as the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year.

We believe that the car is safe, and in fact, the threats of climate change, air pollution and paying corrupt regimes for oil are much more serious and widespread. To create jobs and build a stronger economic future for the United States, we need to be building and buying advanced technology vehicles, like the Volt, in ever increasing numbers. We urge all Americans to buy a Volt, or any other advanced technology of clean fuel vehicle, when next making a purchasing decision.

--John Boesel, President and CEO, CALSTART

Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu to Keynote Green Truck Summit, Co-Hosted by CALSTART

United States Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu will give the keynote address at the 2012 Green Truck Summit on Monday, March 5.
Read the entire press release.
Register now for the Green Truck Summit.

All Of The Above

1/26/2012 8:31:03 AM

The “all of the above” approach to embracing domestic sources of energy is a theme President Obama will continue to talk about as he heads to Nevada and Colorado today. Politico says that the President will make an announcement at a UPS LNG refueling facility in Las Vegas that there is now a public access LNG corridor from Vegas to Long Beach to Salt Lake City. Back on the Hill, auto industry leaders and public policy makers are at the Washington Auto Show for a public policy day. In what appears to be a full schedule, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs for the Department of Energy, David Sandalow, joins Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to talk about advanced vehicle technologies.

From Canada and Brazil to the United Arab Emirates, advanced technologies and fuels are breaking out all over. First up is Ballard Power Systems which is enjoying a promising 2012, according to Fuel Cell Dispatch.  The Canadian manufacturer of fuel cell power modules will play a starring role in Sao Paulo, where at least 25 fuel cell buses will make up part of the clean fleet as the country hosts the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Dubai is taking their “Green Economy Initiative” seriously. School Transportation Services (STS), in partnership with Lootah Biofuels has launched a partnership that will power school buses that run on biodiesel.

Back in the U.S., environmental commissioners from Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington, DC, Rhode Island, New York and Vermont are tired of waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move on implementing Tier 3 Motor Vehicle standards and the Low Sulfur Gasoline Rule. Officials from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States penned a letter to EPA Administrator Jackson urging her to regulate harmful tailpipe pollution. Can air quality laws have an impact? You betcha (well, he doesn’t exactly say that) says Robert Harley, a Professor at UC Berkeley who is out with a study showing that regulations to accelerate the replacement of dirty trucks around the Port of Oakland are showing positive results. Harley concludes that so far there has been a 50% reduction in black smoke and 40% less nitrogen oxide.

Those Bay area types have a lot to celebrate these days and earlier this week the East Bay Clean Cities Coalition handed out two big awards. One was a recognition from the California State Assembly of the stellar work of Peter Ward, who recently retired from the California Energy Commission after 35 years. Next up was CALSTART’s very own Senior Project Manager Steve Sokolsky who was honored with the Coalition’s Chairman’s Award for his decades of stellar work in alternative fuels. Here! Here! While we are on the subject of winners, Fleet Owner salutes Azure Dynamics and Purolator. The former has now delivered its 1000th Balance Hybrid Electric Truck to Purolator, which has 555 Azure units in its fleet of 3500 vehicles. It was no doubt that kind of commitment to clean and green that earned them the Logistics Quarterly Third-Party Logistics Sustainability Award. Kudos all around.