Category: Transportation

An airport worker fuels a JetBlue plane on the tarmac of the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York December 11, 2013. Fuel consumption by U.S. airlines is growing at some of the fastest rates for a decade, according to data published by the federal government. U.S. carriers consumed 1.6 billion gallons of fuel in July, up 3.4 percent from the same month a year earlier ( link.reuters.com/qad75w ). Fuel consumption for the first seven months of the year rose nearly 2.9 percent, the biggest increase since 2011 and before that 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Separately, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported jet fuel consumption rose 4.7 percent year-on-year in January-June (according to product-supplied statistics) or by 6.6 percent in January-July (using prime supplier data). Unlike the U.S. Department of Transportation fuel consumption data, which covers only U.S. airlines, the EIA numbers […]

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Kenneth Adelman has had to learn to be patient. An electric-car enthusiast and retired “computer geek,” in February 2012 he was the first person to plunk down a $40,000 deposit for Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA -3.30 % ’s Model X sport-utility vehicle. At the time, Mr. Adelman didn’t know the Model X’s total price, but Chief Executive Elon Musk said the vehicle would be in his hands by the end of 2013. He is still waiting. After nearly two years’ worth of delays, Tesla kicks off Model X deliveries Tuesday. Although first on the order list, Mr. Adelman, 52 years old, doesn’t know when he will get his vehicle and he is showing little concern. “I’m happy to have waited for the X to be all that it could be,” Mr. Adelman, who also owns a Tesla Roadster and Model S sedan, said in a recent interview. He is […]

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When TOTE Inc., a shipper that operates between the U.S. and the Caribbean, launched its latest container ship last month, the 760-foot craft carried a certain distinction: It’s only the second of the massive vessels worldwide fueled by liquefied natural gas. The first was launched four months earlier by the same company. TOTE is among a growing number of shipowners turning to natural gas at a time of record output, stringent emission rules and churning oil prices. About 70 vessels of all sizes worldwide of are now powered by LNG, up from 42 in just two years, according to DNV GL, which certifies ships for safety. By 2020, the number may pass 1,000. “More companies see natural gas as a viable alternative fuel source, given the abundance of supply and the relatively stable prices,” Peter Keller, executive vice president of Princeton, New Jersey-based TOTE, said in a telephone interview. […]

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graph of monthly U.S. product supplied of finished motor gasoline, as explained in the article text U.S. motor gasoline product supplied , a proxy for gasoline use in the United States, has been rising after reaching an 11-year low in 2012. Although lower gasoline prices have been an important factor in the increase in gasoline use so far in 2015, changes in the labor market and in the vehicle sales mix over the past few years also have contributed to the rise in gasoline use. Because more than 90% of U.S. motor gasoline is used in light-duty vehicles (LDVs), factors that affect vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the average fuel economy of the LDV fleet can also lead to changes in gasoline consumption. In addition to lower gasoline prices, a stronger U.S. job market and higher wage growth may have contributed to record-high VMT , and sales trends in […]

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Interest in hybrid motor vehicles rises and falls with the price of gasoline. Today, with gasoline prices relatively low, some of the steam has gone out of the movement to compressed natural gas vehicles or the hybrids that also use gasoline. Interest was sky high in 2011 when the Legislature authorized two state agencies — the Department of Administration and Information and the Department of Transportation — to retrofit existing vehicles or to buy new ones capable of running on natural gas or a combination of natural gas and gasoline. The Legislature authorized $200,000 for the pilot program, enough to retrofit 10 vehicles for each of the two departments. A report from the state’s Economic Analysis Division issued at that time said the natural gas vehicles reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 90 to 97 percent. But the driving range of the vehicles is limited, the report warned. At the […]

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« Toyota Tsusho becomes official partner for EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells in Japan | Main | DEINOVE and Tyton partner to combine bacterial fermentation solutions with energy tobacco feedstock for biofuels and bio-based chemicals » At IAA next week, automotive supplier Bosch is presenting a new heat-pump-based thermal management system for EVs that it says can enable an increase in effective range of up to 25% without modifications to the battery. In battery-driven powertrains, heating and cooling can play a significantly greater role than in gasoline or diesel engines, since without a combustion engine, the vehicle does not have a generous supply of heat. If the passenger compartment is heated using a purely electrical system drawing its power from the battery, range can be significantly reduced. As a result, there has been interest in the industry about the use of heat pumps as a lower energy-intensity solution. […]

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Failed technology gambles and a half-decade of jockeying among suppliers have top auto makers increasing choosing LG, Samsung Electronics Co. SSNHZ 0.00 % ’s SDI unit and Panasonic Corp. PCRFY -0.79 % The three are emerging as the early winners amid a shift by car companies away from in-house efforts, traditional battery makers and startup ventures. Their quick rise as key suppliers to European, Asian and U.S. car makers is remarkable for an industry that typically insists on reducing risks by building key components such as engines in-house—or using lots of suppliers for less-critical parts. In part, experts say few companies so far have shown they can meet the challenge of building advanced batteries with the quality, weight and cost expectations that auto makers demand. And the technology is moving so fast that few auto makers have tried to master the exotic chemistry required. Of course, electric cars remain […]

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