February 23, 2011

• UPS Clearing the Air with New LNG Tractors
• Eaton Hybrid System to Power New Fuel Efficient IC Bus CE Series Hybrid
• Proposed US 2012 Budget Cuts DERA, Fuel Cell Funding, Boosts Electric
• Wright-Patt leading many alternative-energy efforts

UPS Clearing the Air with new LNG Tractors

Purchase Is Step Toward U.S. Energy Security

UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced it has purchased another 48 heavy tractor trucks equipped to run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), bolstering its continuing effort to reduce the emissions of its truck fleet while taking a step toward energy security.

The vehicles, to be deployed this year in the western United States, will replace older generation diesel vehicles. These LNGs are expected to produce 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to the older trucks and use 95 percent less diesel fuel than the vehicles they replace.

“This is an important step not only from an environmental standpoint but from the viewpoint of U.S. energy security,” said Mike Britt, UPS’s director of vehicle engineering. “Liquefied natural gas is a cheaper, cleaner-burning fuel that is better for the environment and more sustainable than conventional diesel. And it’s also a fuel that’s in abundant supply inside the United States; it doesn’t have to be imported.”

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Eaton Hybrid System to Power New Fuel Efficient IC Bus CE Series Hybrid

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation today announced the commercial availability of its hybrid electric power systems for Navistar’s IC Bus brand school buses. The IC Bus CE Series hybrid electric school bus with unique hill start assist can provide school districts with up to a 30 percent improvement in fuel economy, up to 35 percent reduction of NOx emissions and up to 85 percent reduction of diesel particulates.

“School districts across the country are looking for ways to reduce their fuel cost and provide a greener footprint for their community without compromising passenger or driver comfort,” said Dimitri Kazarinoff, vice president and general manager for Eaton’s Hybrid Power Systems Division. ”With the Eaton hybrid system, they now have a proven option that has more than 100 million miles of real-world experience.”

“We are pleased to incorporate Eaton’s proprietary Hybrid System to improve fuel economy by up to 30 percent and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said John McKinney, President, IC Bus.

Eaton worked with IC Bus to specially design its hybrid system for school bus deployment. The hybrid system combines the MaxxForce® DT with MaxxForce Advanced EGR (exhaust gas recirculation)—the industry’s only no-hassle 2010 emissions solution—with an electric motor that has a peak power output of 44 kilowatt. Through regenerative braking, battery charge is controlled to provide a steady supply of power.

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Proposed US 2012 Budget Cuts DERA, Fuel Cell Funding, Boosts Electric

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration’s proposed 2012 budget eliminates or reduces funding for a number of programs, from DERA to fuel cells, and creates a consumer rebate for the purchase of electric vehicles. The cuts include eliminating funding for the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) and the budgets for the Fuels Program, the Fuel Cells Program, the Oil and Gas Research program, and the Unconventional Fossil Technology program.

The administration has stated a serious commitment to electric vehicle technology, with a proposal to transform the existing $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles into a rebate available to consumers at the point of sale; a $200 million program to invest in electric vehicle infrastructure; removal of regulatory barriers to implementing electric vehicle infrastructure; and an increase in support for vehicle technology R&D.

In addition, the administration’s proposed 2012 budget for the EPA include implementing new standards to reduce emissions from cars and light-duty trucks for model years 2012 through 2016, extending that program to model year 2017 and beyond, and creating a similar program to reduce GHGs from medium-and heavy-duty trucks for model years 2014-2018.

With the budget now being sent to Congress for consideration, it will likely undergo major changes as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives pushes for deeper budget cuts.

Wright-Patt leading many alternative-energy efforts

By Ron Fry Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Air Force is at the forefront of many Department of Defense energy initiatives.

Most are either happening, or are managed, right here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Air Force Materiel Command oversees the development and testing of alternative fuels for Air Force aircraft.

And, because the Air Force has worked hand-in-hand with the commercial aviation industry on development of biofuels, we anticipate fuel producers will respond by bringing them to market sooner, reducing U.S. demand for foreign oil and increasing supply using domestic, renewable sources.

We are seeking more "green" ways to power our fighters, bombers, transports and remotely piloted aircraft. In fact, one of the command's five priorities is to conserve resources.

Here are a few more nuggets of success:

• The Air Force's A-10 flight at Eglin AFB, Fla., on March 25, 2010, marked the first time an aircraft's (Air Force or Navy) only fuel source was a 50/50 blend of conventional and biomass-based fuel.

• In August, a C-17 test flight at Edwards AFB, Calif., used a blend of JP-8 jet fuel, biomass-based renewable fuel and Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuel to power the aircraft.

• In November, a Global Hawk became the first remotely piloted aircraft to use the JP-8/ Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend, completing two flight-test sorties (46 hours total) at Edwards AFB.

• The Air Force Fuel Certification Office has certified more than 95 percent of the Air Force fleet, including all fighter aircraft, for unrestricted operations using a blend of Fischer-Tropsch and JP-8.

• Since 2007, all Air Force construction projects are required to use the U.S. Green Building Council's energy-efficiency designs.

• More than 40 installations and radar sites produce renewable energy using wind turbines, solar arrays, landfill gas generators or ground-source heat pumps.

• The Air Force's first biomass plants are in development at Eglin AFB and Robins AFB, Ga.

• The Air Force has identified 15 solar projects it hopes to construct and bring on line by 2013.

• Also, the Air Force Research Laboratory headquartered here at Wright-Patt is a DOD leader in energy initiatives.

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