Converting Cars for Clean Cities
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is giving out a total of about $300 million in grant money to 25 different projects for creating cleaner burning and more energy efficient vehicles. The grants are part of the DOE’s Clean Cities program and will fund the production of 9,000 energy efficient and alternative fuel burning vehicles while establishing 542 alternative fuel stations, including those for biofuels and natural gas, across the United States. Read more about Commercialization of Alternative Fuel Vehicles
The purpose of Clean Cities is threefold: cut down on pollution; create American jobs; and reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil. The “smarter vehicle” technologies being funded for development include various hybrids, electric vehicles, and compressed natural gas vehicles. All of these types of vehicles on the roads help the United States diminish its oil consumption. Through the cost share contributions from the recipients of the grant money, every federal dollar is matched by close to two dollars from the project’s private partners. In addition, there are public education and training initiatives being funded by the money designed to influence people to want to move away from oil consumption. It is estimated that Clean Cities’ current grants and projects will reduce oil consumption in the U.S. by 38 million gallons per year.
“The Clean Cities program is helping give state and local governments the tools they need to build a greener transportation system that will create new jobs and help to put America on the path to a clean energy future. Advancing the number of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles on the road will increase our energy security, decrease our dependence on oil, and reduce pollution across the country,” says U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.
The states where the projects are taking place currently include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia will also be included in one project which will set up propane fueling stations in a corridor that goes from D.C. down to Florida and then out to Mississippi.
D.C. is also going to convert perhaps a thousand taxi cabs that operate in the city to propane vehicles.
Read more about Commercialization of Alternative Fuel Vehicles
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