Taking electric vehicle range limitations out of the equation

Posted on Jan 4, 2012 in Electric Vehicles by CFC 1 Comment

By: Brian Straight

One of the concerns about electric vehicles is the range. That is certainly true of the most popular commercial vehicle to date – the Newton, from Smith Electric Vehicles, which has an effective range of 100 mi. on a single charge.

But what if range was not part of equation? Certainly electric vehicles provide many benefits over their gas and diesel counterparts – fewer emissions and quieter to name just two. But with a limited range, the market for such vehicles is restricted to routes such as pickup and delivery where the vehicle returns to a fixed charging station each night.

Federal Express and UPS have been deploying the vehicles in city environments with great success. Many other companies are as well. But the market for electric vehicles could mushroom if only there was a way to charge a vehicle en route.

Now, maybe there is. Massachusetts-based OLEV Technologies has been awarded a contract by the city of McAllen, TX, to test just such a process. The On-line Electric Vehicle Bus Project is being funded through the Federal Transportation Administration TIGGER (Transit Investment in Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction) grant program.

At a cost of $2.1 million ($211,000 from the city and the rest coming from the TIGGER grant), the project is set to launch this year and be completed by 2013.

OLEV will install its system to allow three municipal buses that McAllen will retrofit with electric-drive systems to operate using electric power transmitted wirelessly from the roadbed. According to OLEV, this will allow the buses to continuously charge while they are traveling as well as while they load and unload passengers.

“This project will demonstrate the overall effectiveness of using enroute-charging technology to create an effective electronic roadway, as well as the cost effective means of converting buses from the existing diesel fleet to electric vehicles,” said Dr. Hikyu Lee, president & CEO of OLEV Technologies.

According to Lee, the technology will result in an annual greenhouse gas reduction of 289 tons of CO2, with a total reduction of 3,455 tons over the lifetime of the project. Projected annual energy savings will amount to 2,596 million Btus, with a total 31,149 million saved over the lifetime of the project.

Source/Read More: Fleet Owner

Tags: Electric Vehicle, Fed-Ex, OLEV, tigger, ups

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CFC Clean Fuel Connection is leading the charge in alternative fuels with strong support in the electric vehicle and compressed natural gas industries. We have been consulting, installing and distributing ev chargers since 1999 for cities, businesses and home owners. We are also a leader in CNG products, installation and consulting. We are the exclusive dealer of Galileo natural gas products in the United States. For more information on our services please visit the Clean Fuel Connection website.