Vanagon fuel pump

Argonne researchers have developed a new device that could bring electric cars closer to practical use for daily driving.

The device, called an "on-board methanol reformer," releases the hydrogen bound up in methanol (methyl alcohol). Because it is more compact than other reformers, it could enable fuel cells to power electric cars.

Fuel cells are like a batteries with fuel tanks. Unlike batteries, they produce electricity as long as they have fuel, and they never need recharging. The Department of Energy is currently investigating them as possible electric-vehicle power sources.

"Fuel cells are much more efficient and much less polluting than internal combustion engines," said Romesh Kumar (CMT). The device was developed by Kumar, Shabbir Ahmed and Michael Krumpelt (all CMT).
A major problem in using fuel cells to power electric cars, Kumar said, is that they are fueled by hydrogen, a very light gas that is difficult to store. Currently available hydrogen-storage technologies are so heavy and bulky that they would limit the driving range of any car that used them.

"But an on-board reformer like ours," he said, "could solve this problem by reforming methanol from the gas tank and feeding the hydrogen into a fuel cell."

The Argonne device takes up less volume than a seven-gallon container, Kumar said. This makes it the first fuel reformer small enough to fit under the hood of a compact car beside a 50-kilowatt polymer-electrolyte-membrane (PEM) fuel cell, DOE's top candidate for an electric-vehicle fuel cell.

Argonne's reformer would combine methanol with oxygen from the air to produce a hydrogen-rich mixture of gases that would be injected into the fuel cell.

Compared to other reformers, Argonne's is light-weight, compact and energy-efficient. In addition, Kumar said, it is flexible enough to respond well to frequent startups and shutdowns and to the rapidly changing engine demands of daily stop-and-go driving.

The design is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, Kumar said. It consists of a cylinder packed with a common and inexpensive catalyst. A nozzle sprays liquid methanol into the cylinder, and an ignition source starts it.

In addition to hydrogen, the reformer produces carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. A small on-board chemical reactor would convert the carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide.

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National offers discounted rates for U.S. Government and Department of Defense travelers cars on official business with authorized travel orders. Benefits include full Loss Damage Waiver, and no fee for additional drivers or underage drivers (the minimum age is 18 on official military business). Special off-duty leisure travel rates are also available, but do not include these benefits.
Package of Benefits

When traveling on official business or tour-of-duty orders, our benefits include:

* No additional driver fees.
* No underage driver fees (The minimum age for on-duty military rental is 18 years old.)
* Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) included.
* Frequent Traveler benefits with National's major airline partners.
* Over 550 participating locations worldwide to accommodate on-duty travel needs.

A government-issued credit card or official travel orders will be required for reservations. A military or government-issued ID may be required at time of pick up. Please request Contract ID: "GOVBIZ" to receive the military business rate.

When traveling on leisure or without official orders, we offer:

* Discounted rates for federal government employees and military personnel.
* Frequent traveler benefits with National's major airline partners.
* Over 550 participating locations worldwide.
* Family members with dependent identification are also eligible for leisure rates.

A military or Government-issued ID may be required at time of pick up. The minimum age for off-duty military rental is 21 years old, but rates may be higher for renters under age 25. To receive the government leisure rate, request Contract ID "GOVRNR" when making your reservation. Discount rate is valid for off-duty travelers and retired military personnel.

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Benefits of car pooling

Car Pooling

The New South Wales Government is pursuing a range of initiatives to reduce car dependency and improve air quality in accordance with the NSW State Plan. Car pooling or ride sharing, particularly for journeys to work and where public transport is limited, is a great way to reduce single occupant vehicle travel.

Car pooling is the sharing of rides in a private vehicle among two or more individuals. It involves the use of one person's private or company vehicle to carry one or more fellow passengers, either by using one car or rotating cars.

Benefits of car pooling

For individuals:

* Reduced travelling expenses and need for second car.
* Improved travel times through use of transit lanes.

For the community:

* Reductions in vehicle emissions.
* Reductions in traffic volumes and congestion.
* Provides an alternative, cost effective travel choice.
* Improving the environment.

For companies that arrange car pooling:

* Maximising use of employee parking.
* Encouraging sociability between your employees.
* Reducing stress in driving to work.
* Improving company image.
* Can be included in staff benefits package.

Potential options for car pooling

1. With your friends and neighbours.
2. With your work colleagues. Talk to your employer about commencing a car pool scheme for your workplace. Maybe there are other work places around you that may also wish to join your scheme.
3. Through your University of TAFE - Talk to your university administration or student union about commencing a scheme for students.
4. Park and Ride. This has potential for car commuters who travel long distances to their workplace each day within Sydney metropolitan area to park and ride together, ie. Central Coast, Wollongong and Blue Mountains.

Carsharing

Carsharing is a model of car rental where people can rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. The organisation renting the car can be a commercial organisation or a cooperative of individuals and is practiced in over 600 cities worldwide. The RTA recognises that car share parking offers an alternative transport facility that conforms to government transport and environment strategies.

The RTA has produced a technical direction that specifically offers guidance on the provision of on-street car share parking that is located on local roads.

Camper conversion mini Vans

• To create a system that will provide payments only for eligible transactions under the CARS program.
• Under the law, NHTSA will make electronic funds transfers only to a registered dealer that has submitted the required proof of a completely eligible transaction.
• We will develop a registration system to identify licensed, franchised new vehicle dealers and to obtain the banking and tax identification information necessary for making secure electronic transfers. Only registered dealers will have access to the payment system.

• As noted above, at the time of the transaction at the dealer, the consumer who is trading in the “trade-in vehicle” will need to provide evidence of ownership of the vehicle and proof that the vehicle has been continuously registered and insured to the same person throughout the last 12 months.
• To prevent repeated use of the program by the same person, we anticipate that the consumer will need to provide evidence of identity, such as a driver’s license, and permit that information to become part of the documentation of the transaction.

• The dealer will have every reason to avoid entering into a transaction for which the dealer cannot be reimbursed under this program.
• The dealer will be expected to verify that the vehicle being traded in and the vehicle being purchased or leased are both eligible under the program.
• This will entail, with regard to the trade-in, making sure that the registration and insurance information is accurate and that the vehicle is in drivable condition.
• For both vehicles, the dealer will need to verify their combined fuel economy.

How to Drive Clean

The concept of driving a clean technology vehicle to some people may sound a bit "granola" at first. But with the technological of our advancements and substantial market interest in recent years, auto manufacturers are offering a very large variety of clean technology vehicle makes and models that provide the same power, style, luxury and features as traditional gasoline vehicles Not only can car buyers easily find a vehicle model that suits their lifestyle, but clean technology vehicles often offer more – better warranties, greater efficiency, and can help solve the serious air pollution, global warming, and energy security problems facing California.

Why Drive Clean:

Californians drive 825 million miles every day – producing 5.4 million tons of smog forming pollutants daily. Since more than 50% of California's total smog pollution and 60% greenhouse gas pollution comes from motor vehicles - your car is a good place to start cleaning things up.

If that’s not bad enough, more than 95% of Californians live in areas that fail to meet federal or state air quality standards - a rapidly increasing health hazard to you, your children, their children, and so on. Also, impacts of global warming are already being felt in California.

Sure, all new cars are cleaner than they used to be, but there are a lot more of them on the road today driving more miles than ever. So our pollution of problem continues to worsen. It's simple – we have to drive less or we have to drive cleaner if we want to solve our pollution problem.

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