Oregonian politicians, including Governor Ted Kulongoski, have met with BYD Auto representatives in a bid to persuade the Chinese automaker to use Portland, Oregon as a home for its North American headquarters, distribution hub, and possibly even a site for vehicle manufacturing. Eventually. For now, BYD wants to sell its hybrid and electric cars in North America and is casting about for a place to set up shop to accomplish that. Portland has the advantage of being on the coast closest to China and also possesses the type of sustainable image that the company finds attractive. The manager of their automotive sales division, Henry Li said, "The top factor is a place that is environmentally friendly, where people have a green mind-set,...That's very important."

According to a Portland Tribune article discussing the meeting, BYD wants to launch their F3DM and F6DM for $25,000 and $30,000 to begin with. These are plug-in serial hybrids like the Chevy Volt but have a 60 mile all-electric range before the motor kicks in to supply the battery with additional energy. The Volt all-electric range is 40 miles. BYD is the world's largest cell phone battery maker and prides itself on its lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) formulation. The company apparently wants to wait until their is more of a high speed battery-charging infrastructure before launching their gas-free versions of these models. They hope to have decided on an American test-market location by the end of this year.





[Source: Portland Tribune]

The water bureau in Portland, OR has been running their fleet of diesel-powered trucks on B20 biodiesel since August 2004. After doing more analysis and testing they began running their entire fleet on B99 on September 26. The water bureau uses about 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually and determined that switch would be almost cost neutral. They also hope to help spur more local production of biodiesel.

Portland's 84-vehicle fleet includes a wide variety of equipment like backhoes, dump trucks, graders, pickups and others. With this change the Portland has the largest diesel fleet in the United States running on B99. Some older vehicles will continue to run on B20 until they are replaced. In addition to the water department, all the rest of Portland's diesel vehicles - a total of 373 trucks, 166 pieces of construction equipment and 62 towed units (compressors, generators, etc.) - will continue run on B20. Altogether the city uses approximately 600,000 gallons of B20 a year.

[Source: Portland Water Bureau via GreenCarCongress]

I've been having fun experimenting with a variety of transportation alternatives in the month since I began my low car diet. I've bussed a lot, taken the light rail known locally as the "Max," even riding transport for free in "Fareless Square." My husband had made plentiful use of the bike and ride option (he sticks his bike on the front rack on the bus before work, then rides home late at night when the schedules are inconvenient or nonexistent). We've done the Flexcar thing, and I've biked a ton.

But the easiest option, by far, is simply to walk. I walk to the grocery store with the boys and fill the bottom of my sturdy jogging stroller with canned goods, milk, wine, veggies, bread, juice, and goodies of all kinds. I walk to the neighborhood coffee shop when I need to get away from the house and jump on their free WiFi. I walk to the high school track in our neighborhood to do intervals and let my four-year-old play in the sand. I walk to the knitting cafe for companionship and a yarn fix.

Biking and bussing may be faster, and the Flexcar? It's super cool. But walking is its own reward and it's just so much easier! No helmets, no car seats, no locks or reservations. Just throw the little one in the stroller (he can even climb in himself!), throw my gear in the cargo hold and away we go. Best of all: it's utterly, completely, in every way, free.