As part of a pledge to green the war in Iraq, President Bush will increase the number of hybrid engine aircraft carriers, according to the Onion News Network (see video below the fold). The fake news report also includes other ideas that the military could do to make the war green: carpooling troop transports, for example, or using lightweight balsa wood black hawk helicopters to save on fuel. While not in the report, the description of the video mentions biodegradable tanks. Be warned, the The Onion's jokes about greening torture might not go over well in the work place.

[Source: YouTube]

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom made sure everyone knew the three converted plug-in hybrids that are now a part of the municipal fleet were PHEVs by plugging them in at a ceremony on Thursday. San Francisco's new PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) were converted by Pat's Garage with funding from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and will be used by many parts of the city government including the Public Library and the Mayor's office. The city and county of San Francisco also put in a "soft" order to the big automakers committing to buy 200 plug-in hybrid cars and 50 plug-in hybrid trucks whenever the car makers decide to make 'em.

This is the latest in a long string of green car events in San Francisco. In the past, Mayor Newsom switched the city's entire fleet of cars from diesel to biodiesel and even turned waste grease into biodiesel to power the city's fleet of vehicles. Now, the Mayor has "the most plugged-in municipal fleets in the country." This is a mayor who really loves green cars.

[Source: ABC 7 News]

The Orlando Sentinel reports that administrator John Drury (above photo) is excited that the Tavares City Council is lifting restrictions on NEVs [neighborhood electric vehicles] and even putting in some charging stations. John says, "Wouldn't it be a fine day when people are driving NEVs to the train station, then take a train to downtown Orlando?" Corey Lamb of O-Cartz, which rents electric vehicles in Orlando for $3 a ride, says, "This is the way of the future. ... They're environmentally friendly. They're fun and they're safe."

South Alabama's Baldwin County Now reports that B.J. Johnson (yes, that's his real name) of Funny Cars of Gulf Shores, another EV renter, wishes he had it as easy as O-Cartz. B.J. has to prove that NEVs won't cause a problem to a skeptic in Councilman Robert Craft, who says, "Just the fact that it's different from a normal vehicle could present danger. ... I said it last time and I'm telling you now, I think it's a bad idea that is dangerous and unsafe with the congestion problems we already have throughout our peak times of the year."

B.J., a little advice from us to you: move to Orlando.

[Sources: Orlando Sentinel, Baldwin County Now]

At the Washington Auto Show, Jim Press (the guy who famously left Toyota for Chrysler) said the Japanese government worked closely with corporations, like Toyota, for the betterment of society. Jim said he is excited to work with Cerberus, the private owners of Chrysler, to contribute to society as well. In the U.S., Press said, things like the Alliance of Auto Manufactures and the new CAFE standard lead to great results, e.g., the Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid. Do you have questions about Chrysler's HEMI hybrid? The Washington Auto Show has two days left and I will ask your questions when I head back there. Post your questions in comments now.

Canadian company Westpoint Innovations has been awarded almost AUD$1.4 million (US$1.075 million) by the Australian Government under their Alternative Fuels Conversion Programme (AFCP) to evaluate liquid petroleum gas (LPG, also known as LNG) as a heavy-duty highway truck fuel in Australia. The AFCP is an Australian government project designed to assist operators and manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles and buses to convert to Natural Gas (NG) or LPG, as well as assisting manufacturers in the development and testing of engine technologies that can demonstrate greenhouse gas benefits and maintain air quality emissions performance.

Three leading Australian truck fleet owners will acquire four new Kenworth trucks powered by 2008 model Cummins 15-litre engines incorporating Westport's LPG fuel technology as part of the project to evaluate a range of criteria including performance, economy, emissions and noise.

Westport believes that their LPG technology matched with the cheaper price of LPG fuel in Australia and the huge distances traveled could deliver annual fuel savings to the fleet owners of over AUD$132,000 (US$102,000). Beyond economic benefits, LPG also offers lower nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, compared to diesel fuel. Greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by as much as 15 - 20 percent over diesel fuel for trucks operating 400,000 km / 248,000 miles per year.

Analysis: $100,000 is a lot of money in anyone's language, especially per truck per year! If LPG can deliver massive fuel savings while simultaneously improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, everyone wins.

Related:

• Prometheus Energy starts production of LNG from landfill
• Diesel displacement technology operates engines on CNG, LNG and diesel

[Source: Today's Trucking]